Sudan promises crackdown on Darfur militias
KHARTOUM, June 26, 2004 (dpa) — Sudan’s government Saturday announced a series of measures aimed at easing civilian suffering in the crisis-hit Darfur region, including the deployment of troops from the south of the country to crack down on notorious “Janjaweed” militia fighters.
The announcement comes at the end of a three-day fact-finding mission to the Darfur region by Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey and amid increasing international calls to tackle the worsening humanitarian crisis in the area.
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan and United States Secretary of State Colin Powell are due to visit the area later this week.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismael revealed the heightened security measures to reporters after a meeting between Calmy-Rey and Sudan’s President Omer Hassan al-Bashir.
The extra troops will be used to secure relief corridors into the area and to arrest Janjaweed militia members, Ismael said.
The Swiss foreign minister meanwhile pledged 20 million Swiss francs (16 million dollars) in aid to Sudan, vowing that Switzerland would double its humanitarian efforts in the country.
Other measures Sudan had taken included the establishment of an independent inquiry committee to probe alleged abuses of civilians, the appointment of delegates to talk to rebel factions, and the implementation of a fuel price hike to generate revenues for the relief effort, said Ismael.
The Sudanese Foreign Minister also reiterated his belief that the Darfur crisis could be solved through political channels, at the same time appealing to the international community for humanitarian aid.
It has also been announced that al-Bashir has appointed close aide and interior minister Abdrahim Hussein as Presidential representative to coordinate efforts to restore law and order to the three Darfur states, help resettle refugees and displaced persons and smooth the relief effort.
The appointment follows criticism from the U.S. that Khartoum was not doing enough to rein in the Janjaweed militias.
Sudan has been plagued by civil war for over two decades. A long- running conflict in the south of the country between the Arab government and Christian rebels ended with a U.S.-backed peace deal only last month.
However tensions between black Africans and Arab militias in the western regions of the country have flared in recent months, with violent clashes forcing more than a million people from their homes