African Commission urges for transparency in solving Darfur conflict

KHARTOUM, June 21, 2004 (Xinhua) — The African Commission has called on all sides to handle the conflict in Darfur with transparency and credibility in order to peacefully resolve the conflict in the region in western Sudan.
Alpha Oumar Konare, chairman of the commission and head of a delegation with the African Union (AU), made the remarks Sunday after arriving in al-Fashir town in northern Darfur.

Konare was quoted by local media as saying that his visit showed the great concern the continent has for developments in Darfur.

Konare’s two-day visit to Darfur started on Sunday to check the humanitarian situations and the readiness of the cease-fire monitors.

The African Union is overseeing a truce reached between the two rebels movements in the region and the Sudanese government on April 8.

Darfur was plunged into an armed conflict in February 2003, which pitted two rebel forces against the government troops and their allies, the Janjaweed militia.

The conflict has left 10,000 people dead and about 1 million others displaced, among them over 100,000 fleeing to neighboring Chad.

UN officials, who visited Darfur, branded the humanitarian situation in Darfur as one of the worst in the world.

Under mounting pressure from the international community, Khartum has relaxed restrictions on the entry of foreign relief workers into the Darfur region.