US says Sudan must act ‘now’ on UN resolution on Darfur
WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (AFP) — The United States said Sudan must move immediately to meet the requirements of a UN Security Council resolution demanding action to improve conditions in the strife-torn western region of Darfur.
“One month ago, Sudan committed to take actions to stop the violence in Darfur and to improve humanitarian access,” deputy State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said. “Thirty days have passed, and painfully little has been done.
“The need is now, there is no excuse for not taking action now, the Security Council calls for action now and that’s what we want to see,” he told reporters.
Ereli also rejected the Sudanese army’s characterization of the UN resolution — which gives Khartoum 30 days to bring the crisis in Darfur under control or face international action — as a “declaration of war.”
“We would certainly dispute that interpretation,” he said, noting that the resolution simply calls for Sudan to implement earlier pledges to lift restrictions on humanitarian aid, facilitate access and reining in pro-government Arab militias blamed for atrocities in Darfur.
“Far from a declaration of war, it calls upon the government of Sudan to fulfill commitments it made,” Ereli said. “It’s holding Sudan to account to the standards that it agreed to.”
Earlier Monday, Sudanese armed forces spokesman General Mohamed Beshir Suleiman was quoted in the official Al Anbaa daily as saying the resolution “is a declaration of war on the Sudan and its people.”
“The Sudanese army is now prepared to confront the enemies of the Sudan on land, sea and air,” he said in comments that appeared to contradict the government’s reluctance acceptances of the UN resolution.
Friday’s Security Council resolution, which avoided the term “sanctions”, made no mention of possible use of force, although foreign officials have spoken of sending troops to Darfur to try to force an end to the crisis.
The United Nations estimates that up to 50,000 people have been killed in Darfur and more than a million have fled their homes, 200,000 of them seeking refuge in neighbouring Chad.
The World Food Program (WFP) started at the weekend to airdrop urgent food supplies into inaccessible areas of Darfur, where rain and insecurity had stopped aid getting through to people.