Sudan assures UN of commitment to development, relief in Darfur

KHARTOUM, Feb 15 (AFP) — The Sudanese government on Sunday reiterated its commitment to the development of the restive Darfur region in western Sudan and to making humanitarian assistance available to those in need in the area.

Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail said after talks with UN special envoy for humanitarian affairs in Sudan Tom Vraalsen that the two had discussed a possible UN role in helping Khartoum reach a settlement with rebels in Darfur.

Ismail said he had appealed to the UN and other international organisations to help persuade the Darfur rebels to lay down their arms and participate in a proposed government conference on peace and development in the region.

Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir said last week that the army had crushed a year-old rebellion in the Darfur region, declaring an end to hostilities there and offering a general amnesty to rebels who surrender their weapons.

But a spokesman for the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said Thursday that the rebels had retaken several towns and road links from government forces in the semi-desert area.

Some 3,000 people have been killed and another 670,000 displaced within Sudan itself by the war pitting government troops and their Arab militia allies against rebels drawn mainly from the region’s non-Arab minorities.

Another 100,000 Sudanese are estimated to have fled across the border into Chad because of the rebellion that erupted over the Darfur region’s alleged economic neglect by the government.

The Sudanese foreign minister said all relief corridors into the region would be open as of Monday, as was pledged after government troops recaptured rebel strongholds and positions.

The UN envoy was to travel to the restive region on Monday.