U.S. seeking Libyan role in ending humanitarian crisis in Sudan
By GEORGE GEDDA, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON, May 27, 2004 (AP) — The United States and Libya are discussing possible use of that country as a transit point for delivering humanitarian aid to western Sudan, where fighting has left hundreds of thousands of people at risk of starvation or disease.
The administration has been undertaking costly airlifts of assistance to Sudan’s Darfur province and is seeking land routes as an alternative. Libya has a common border with Sudan, as does Chad, with which U.S. officials also have had discussions.
If an agreement with Libya can be worked out, U.S. food would be sent to a Libyan port and then transferred to the custody of the World Food Program for delivery to Darfur.
There is increasing alarm here about the fate of the more than 1 million people in Darfur who have been uprooted, victims in a 15-month struggle between government-backed Arab militias and regional black tribes.
U.S. officials have been highlighting the plight of the displaced Sudanese, mindful that the world’s inattention to Rwanda a decade ago may have contributed to the genocide that occurred there.
Andrew Natsios, administrator of the Agency for International Development, said AID estimates suggest that 350,000 Sudanese could die over the next nine months.
In a telephone interview, Natsios said foot-dragging by the Sudanese government in allowing humanitarian access to the area has greatly hampered relief efforts.
Security is another problem, Natsios said, citing repeated attacks on the camps by the militias, known as Janjaweed.
“People will not accept assistance, food or medicine, because the Janjaweed will arrive just after we get there and steal the food or shelter materials and then rape the women and kill the men,” he said.
It is critically important, Natsios said, that restrictions on access be lifted and security be enhanced over the next month because rains beginning in late June will make roads impassable.
He rejected as impractical the deployment of an international force to ensure safe arrival of aid.
Any such process, he said, would take months. “We don’t have months. We have a month,” he said.
Natsios said a mass immunization campaign is under way for children to reduce their vulnerability to diseases such as meningitis and malaria.
Officials also are pressuring Sudan to enforce a cease-fire that took effect April 11 but has been routinely violated, he said.
American willingness to seek out Libyan cooperation reflects the progress that U.S. ties with Libya have made in recent months. Libya’s decision last December to dispose of its deadliest weapons has transformed the relationship dramatically. The two countries are in the process of establishing normal diplomatic relations.
Natsios said U.S. officials have been in touch with Libya via U.N. and Belgian government channels.
The process “is advanced but hasn’t reached a favorable conclusion yet. We’re still hoping for some breakthroughs,” he said.
Sudan’s role in supporting militia groups in Darfur has somewhat diminished Wednesday’s breakthrough in the 21-year war between government forces and southern-based rebels.
The Khartoum government and the SPLM rebels signed key agreements Wednesday that resolved the last remaining issues needed.
The Bush administration has welcomed the agreement as a milestone but has made clear to Sudanese officials that it regards Darfur as a paramount issue.
“There can be no normalization of relations between the United States and Sudan until the crisis in Darfur is dealt with,” Natsios said.