EU urges Sudan to let UN officials visit Darfur

April 5, 2006 (VIENNA) — The European Union urged Sudan’s government on Wednesday to let humanitarian aid agencies send representatives to Darfur, saying it was essential to give relief officials free access.

In a statement by Austria’s EU presidency, the 25-nation bloc said it regretted that Sudanese authorities earlier this week blocked U.N. Undersecretary Jan Egeland from visiting the conflict-ridden region.

Sudan later relented and said Egeland would be allowed to assess the crisis in the area.

“The humanitarian situation in Darfur requires sustained action by the international community,” the EU said, restating its commitment to providing support and aid to the stricken region.

The United Nations has described Darfur as the site of the world’s gravest humanitarian crisis.

The three-year-old conflict, setting the Arab-dominated government and militias against ethnic African tribes, has left some 180,000 dead — most from disease and hunger — and displaced another 2 million people from their homes.

(ST/AP)