Danish aid minister’s visit to Sudan cancelled

Nov 21, 2006 (COPENHAGEN) — Sudan has called off a visit by Denmark’s aid minister, citing security concerns, a Danish official said Tuesday.

Foreign Aid Minister Ulla Toernaes was to have started her weeklong trip on Friday, including a visit to the troubled Darfur region, but Sudanese authorities cancelled the visit on Monday, an official at the Ministry of Development Cooperation said.

The Sudanese government cited general security’ as a reason for the cancellation, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to give her name to the media.

Toernaes was not immediately available for comments.

Fighting since Darfur rebels launched an uprising in 2003 has left more than 200,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced.

Denmark, a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, has actively been backing a resolution for the deployment of a 20,000-strong UN force to the region. The Sudanese government has rejected such a force.

In 2005, Denmark gave 60 million kroner (Ð8 million: US$10 million) in foreign aid to Sudan, of which 40 million (Ð5.4 million; US$7 million) was earmarked for Darfur.

(AP)