German official proposes peacekeepers for Sudan

BERLIN, May 6, 2004 (dpa) — A top German governmental official Thursday proposed deployment of a European peacekeeping force in strife-torn Sudan.

German Aid Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, speaking during a parliamentary debate on the Sudan crisis, proposed the deployment and said it could be funded by the European Union.

Earlier, the German government issued an appeal to Sudan to cooperate with relief agencies to avert a massive humanitarian crisis after armed conflict forced more than one million people from their homes in the western Darfur region.

“The Sudan must adhere to agreements ensuring speedy relief to those who need it,” a Foreign Office spokesman said. “The Sudanese government has an obligation to do that.”

Berlin has earmarked more than 1.5 million dollars in humanitarian relief to the strife-torn country.

The appeal came after the World Food Program said in a statement that over 100,000 Sudanese refugees had fled across the border to Chad since fighting between the government and rebels began in February 2003.

“This is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, with so many people in the most belligerent way being chased from their homes,” said James Morris, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Program.