UN’s Egeland vows to relay concerns of Darfur displaced
Nov 16, 2006 (GENEINA) – UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland vowed Thursday to relay to the world the concerns of the more than two million people displaced by more than three years of conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region.
“I will convey your message to the world,” Egeland told representatives of some of those who had fled their homes near Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state.
Representatives for the displaced complained of frequent attacks on their camps by armed men.
Egeland, on his last mission in Sudan as the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator, was not granted access to the camps by Sudanese authorities for what they said were security reasons.
As part of a three-day visit to the region, Egeland met a group of Darfuri women and a tribal chief. He is also due to visit a hospital and meet other local leaders before holding talks with the governor of West Darfur.
According to the United Nations, at least 200,000 people have died from the combined effects of fighting, famine and disease since ethnic minority rebels rose up in early 2003, drawing a scorched earth response from the government. Some sources say the toll is much higher.
On May 5, Khartoum signed an agreement with the mainstream faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement, but the peace deal failed to quell the violence in the vast desert region.
On Wednesday, while in Khartoum, Egeland urged the Sudanese government to improve security conditions for aid workers in Darfur after a spate of deaths in recent months.
“The situation is very difficult and the security has deteriorated. There are courageous humanitarian workers who feel the need for more help to enable work for the civilian population,” Egeland told reporters after a meeting with Humanitarian Affairs Minister Costi Manibe.
On August 31, the UN Security Council passed a resolution authorising the deployment of UN peacekeepers to replace overstretched African Union monitors, but Sudan has repeatedly refused to accept a UN force.
In recent weeks, the international community has signalled it is willing to aceept a compromise rather than impose sanctions on Sudan.
(AFP)