Sudan says security in Darfur improving

KHARTOUM, May 15, 2005 (Xinhua) — The Sudanese government said on Saturday that the troubled western region of Darfur is witnessing calmness and reconstruction, the official SUNA news agency reported.

Sudanese army soldiers patrol on camels outside the Mornay camp in western Darfur, Sudan. (AFP).

During a meeting with First Vice President Ali Othman Taha, Interior Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein said he will tour some areas of Darfur as part of efforts to realize security and stability in Darfur.

The minister said that eastern localities of Darfur have not seen any incident of violence over the last month.

He said that camps in Garcella area have vanished and displaced people there have been sent back to their villages.

The minister said several educational and health institutions have been set up in Darfur.

Darfur rebels took up arms against the government in February 2003, accusing it of neglecting the barren area and arming militia to loot and kill local farmers.

During the two-year violence, thousands of people have been killed and more than 1 million displaced.