US believes Sudan in violation of Darfur ceasefire

WASHINGTON, April 12 (AFP) — The United States said it believes the Sudanese government and Khartoum-backed militias are in violation of a ceasefire in the western region of Darfur and called for the immediate implementation of the truce.

The State Department said information received by Washington in the hours after the ceasefire was to go into effect earlier Monday indicated that the government and the rebels were not fully adhering to the deal.

“At this point, we have not seen a significant change on the ground in Darfur following (Thursday’s) agreement,” spokesman Richard Boucher said.

“Early reporting indicates some diminution in the fighting following the ceasefire going into effect, but we do still have reports that the government-supported Arab militias are attacking parts of western and southern Darfur,” he said.

“There are, also, reports of continuing aerial bombardment, such as at Anka, northwest of Khartoum, this morning,” Boucher told reporters.

He added that Washington understood that the pro-government militias had yet to depart from positions near camps filled with internally displaced persons and were effectively preventing these people from returning to their homes.

“We expect the parties to abide by the ceasefire,” Boucher said.

The US assessment appeared to be at odds with accounts from both Khartoum, which pledged it was upholding the truce, and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) which said the ceasefire was being respected.

The year-old war in Darfur has displaced about 670,000 people inside Sudan since it erupted in February 2003 and forced about 100,000 others to flee to neighbouring Chad.