Sudan’s Darfur conflict destabilizing region – UN official

April 1, 2007 (BANGUI) — The U.N. humanitarian chief said Saturday that the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region was destabilizing neighboring Chad and the Central African Republic and a comprehensive solution to the region’s problems was needed.

John Holmes, the U.N. undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, concluded a 10-day tour of the region by saying he was struck by “the magnitude of the humanitarian challenge in these three countries” and calling for a strong political effort to end the growing chaos.

“Problems (in the region) are exacerbated by Darfur, but not caused by Darfur,” Holmes told The Associated Press in an interview.

“Beyond the immediate humanitarian action, the international community must help find a solid political solution for the region,” he said. “We need to address all the problems in the region in an integrated way because they all spill over into each other.”

The 4-year-old conflict between local rebels and the Sudanese government in Darfur has left more than 200,000 dead and 2.5 million homeless.

Holmes said there has been long-standing ethnic strife in Chad and the Central African Republic. But the conflict in Darfur has destabilized the border regions, aggravating rebellions in both neighboring countries.

In northeastern Central African Republic, where armed groups abound, fighting has displaced tens of thousands, many of whom have fled to Chad, which is also hosting tens of thousands of Darfur refugees.

Chad and Sudan accuse one another of supporting each other’s insurgencies, and Chadian rebels are known to have bases along the border in Darfur.

On Friday, Holmes met about 400 refugees in the northeastern Central African Republic and promised he would push international donors and aid groups to provide more relief to what he described as one of the most neglected crisis in Africa.

Refugees roaming through the bush showed the muddy, soiled water they have to drink and the forest fruits they eat to survive. Many were falling sick and dying in these conditions, they said.

Men were armed with spears and machetes, which they said was their only protection against venomous snakes and government forces who chase them on suspicions they are allied to local rebels.

Some men said they also tried to hunt.

“But we’re lucky if we even eat rat,” said Jean Claude Dilla, who lives in the woods with his family of six since a government attack on the nearby town of Paoua in January.

Francois Bozize, the president of the Central African Republic, said he was trying to prevent his forces from targeting civilians.

“We know that there have been some serious lapses in behavior during military operations,” Bozize told reporters after meeting with Holmes on Saturday and giving him the nation’s medal of merit.

The U.N. has made plans for some 11,000 peacekeepers to deploy along eastern Chad’s volatile border with Darfur. A small additional component would move into the Central African Republic. While the Chadian president has backtracked on allowing U.N. soldiers, CAR says it will welcome the move.

Sudan rejects plans for a separate U.N. peacekeeping force to end the bloodshed in Darfur.

Holmes said he was hopeful a compromise deal for the Chadian and Central African Republic peacekeeping mission would soon be reached. But he said the U.N. force is not the solution to the region’s problems.

(AP)