Hollywood ‘s Mia Farrow heads to war-torn Darfur

June 11, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Award-winning American actress Mia Farrow is to head to Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region in her capacity as goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Children Fund.

Farrow, accompanied by her 18-year-old son Ronan, is to visit camps housing some of the estimated 2.4 million people who have been displaced by fighting in Darfur that has also left up to 300,000 people dead over the past three years.

She will also meet Sudanese officials and aid workers “to urge that steps be taken to ensure peace and stability”, UNICEF said in a statement Sunday.

The actress, who already visited the western Sudanese region in November, 2004, is known for her partnership with director Woody Allen and received a Golden Globe award for her role in “Alice” (1990).

While fighting has eased since Farrow’s last visit, the security situation remains tense, with an under-manned 7,000-troop African Union observer mission trying to enforce a ceasefire in an area the size of France.

Farrow’s visit coincides with that of a joint African Union-United Nations assessment team seeking to get the green light from Khartoum for a bolstered UN force to take over from the AU.

Only one faction of the larger of the two Darfur rebel groups signed a peace deal in Abuja in May, and efforts have been continuing to get the other groups to agree to work towards peace.

(AFP)