Canada presses Sudan to end Darfur crisis

MONTREAL, July 16 (AFP) — Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham urged his counterpart Mustafa Ismail to halt Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, described by the United Nations as the world’s worst, Graham’s office said.

“I urged Minister Mustafa to address urgently the security issues affecting the internally displaced in Darfur,” Graham said in a statement summarizing his meeting with Mustafa here on Thursday.

Darfur is Sudan’s troubled western region.

“It remains the responsibility of the Sudanese government to disarm the Janjaweed (pro-government militias) and to protect the civilian population,” he said.

“The government must address serious human rights violations and prevent further warcrimes and crimes against humanity from occurring in the region,” said Graham.

“We must all work together to end the terrible violence in Darfur, and to see that humanitarian assistance reaches those who are in need.”