UN should threaten force in west Sudan – ICG

CAIRO, May 16 (Reuters) – The U.N. should threaten Sudan with military intervention if Khartoum does not stop violating international humanitarian law and targeting civilians in its war-stricken west, an influential think-tank said on Sunday.

The International Crisis Group (ICG) urged the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution condemning Sudan for “the indiscriminate targeting of civilians”, obstructing aid to the arid Darfur area and supporting the Arab janjaweed militia.

It said the resolution should also include a call for the government to respect an April 8 ceasefire signed with rebels, who took up arms against the government in February 2003 calling for a fairer share of power and the country’s resources.

“The U.N. Secretary General should be asked to provide a further report to the Security Council within three weeks, reviewing progress,” the ICG said in a statement.

“And it should be made clear beyond doubt that in the event this report indicates a continuing humanitarian crisis in Darfur, ongoing indiscriminate targeting of civilians and obstruction of humanitarian assistance by the government, the Security Council will authorise the application of military force on ‘responsibility to protect’ principles,” it said.

The “responsibility to protect” principles were drawn up by an international commission that set out criteria for the appropriate time for states to react militarily to protect people at risk.

Rebels and rights groups have accused Sudan’s government of arming the janjaweed militia to loot and burn Arab villages, and accused Khartoum of carrying out ethnic cleansing, a charge the government dismisses. Khartoum calls the janjaweed outlaws.

The United Nations has said an estimated one million people have been displaced by the conflict in Darfur, and calls it the largest humanitarian emergency facing the world. It says about 120,000 refugees have crossed into neighbouring Chad.