Powell says security situation in Darfur “very, very serious”
WASHINGTON, July 20 (AFP) — US Secretary of State Colin Powell said the global community remain “completely dissatisfied” with the security situation in the strife-torn Darfur region in Sudan and he would contact UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on the prospect of global action.
He said he told Sudanese officials over the weekend that while there was some marginal improvement in the humanitarian side, US President George W. Bush and the international community “remain completely dissatisfied with the security situation.
“The situation remains very, very serious, and first and foremost, the security has to be dealt with,” Powell said.
“Not enough is being done to break the hold of the Janjaweed. Rapes are still occurring. People do not feel safe leaving the camps to go out and forage for food.”
The Darfur region is in the throes of what the United Nations has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with a major famine looming and humanitarian relief operations hampered by rains.
More than 10,000 people are estimated to have died in Darfur and at least 1.2 million have been driven from their homes, many of them to squalid camps in Chad, since a revolt against the Arab-dominated government broke out among indigenous ethnic minorities in February 2003.
In retaliation, the pro-government Arab Janjaweed militias have carried out what UN officials say is a brutal campaign of ethnic cleansing against black Africans.
Citing Sudanese government documents, the Human Rights Watch group called for an immediate, strongly worded UN resolution that sanctions Khartoum and government officials responsible for crimes against humanity.
It said the confidential documents in its possession implicate high-ranking government officials in a policy of militia support.
Powell said he would be in close touch with Annan to determine what further action might be appropriate for the UN Security Council and the international community to take.
The US has prepared a draft resolution seeking sanctions against the Sudanese government, among other things.
The council held its first talks on a draft of the sanctions last week, but diplomats said opposition to the measure was stronger than had been expected. The United States has vowed to press ahead with council action.
“We will continue to consult with our international partners,” Powell said. “I’ll be talking to Secretary General Annan again this afternoon.”
He said Annan’s representative in Sudan had come back to brief the Security Council Wednesday.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail had said the Security Council has been advised by the African Union, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Arab League not to intervene in Darfur as long as the African Union is handling the question.
The African Union will this week announce the date and venue of the next attempt to bring Khartoum and two rebel groups from the war-ravaged Darfur region back to the negotiating table.
Powell said there was a need to help build up rapidly the size of the African Union monitoring group on the conflict, adding that he had spoken to Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo over what the United States could do to assist the African Union protect the group.
He said Washington was also trying to get the political process back on track as well, with American ambassadors in the region speaking to rebel leaders to get them back to the table.