Annan, Powell appeal for help in Sudan
NEW YORK, July 23, 2004 (dpa) — Pressure on Sudan to put an end to atrocities in its troubled western Darfur region grew on Thursday, with the U.S. and the United Nations appealing for a stronger international response and Britain saying it had not ruled out military intervention.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, meeting in New York, appealed to the international community to strongly respond to the humanitarian crisis and again urged the government in Khartoum to end support for the militias largely responsible for the violence that has killed thousands.
In London, Prime Minister Tony Blair said that Britain does not rule out military intervention in Sudan, but had not reached that point yet. Blair said the country accepts it has “a moral responsibility” to deal with the refugee crisis there.
Blair added, however, that any plans would have to be worked out with the Africa Union.
The U.N. Security Council was reviewing a U.S. proposed resolution aimed at pressuring the Sudanese government to stop the Janjaweed militias and grant easier access for aid workers to assist victims in the Darfur region of the country.
“The burden for this, for providing security, rests fully on the Sudanese government,” U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said after meeting with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.
“They have been supporting and sustaining some of these Janjaweed elements. This has to end,” Powell said
Powell and Annan travelled to Sudan in early July to get a first hand view of the results of the assault by the Arabic militias against black Africans that has left at least 30,000 dead and up thousands displaced without food or shelter. U.S. and U.N. officials have called the violence in Darfur the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
Annan said the United Nations along with humanitarian organizations will increase its presence in Sudan, and urged other governments to provide assistance.
“We need to work on sanitation. We need logistical support. We need helicopters. We need planes. And we are appealing to governments to give us the necessary tools to do our work,” Annan said.
Powell also urged countries to meet their financial commitment to helping. “There are too many countries that have made a financial commitment but have not yet paid on those commitments,” he said.
Powell said a revised resolution will impose a timeframe for the militias to end their assault and possible sanctions if they fail to do so. The resolution also includes an arms embargo on Darfur.
Powell said the new resolution will be tougher than the original draft, but did not say whether it will impose sanctions on the Sudanese government if it fails to stop the militias. Powell said Khartoum is capable of halting the Janjaweed.
“They turned it on, they can turn it off,” Powell said. “The (question) is, is there enough incentive for them to turn it off. And we’re making it clear to them that there will be consequences if it is not turned off.”
Earlier Thursday in Washington, Powell said that initial reports by a U.S. team sent to examine the violence were “very disturbing”.
“The initial reporting that I have received is very disturbing as to the actions of the Janjaweed and how the Janjaweed were supported by the government of Sudan,” Powell said.
The United States is examining whether the onslaught meets the legal threshold to be considered genocide.