AL’s Moussa urges Sudan to work with AU

CAIRO, Aug 8, 2004 (Xinhuanet) — Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa on Sunday urged the Sudanese government to work with the African Union (AU) to solve the Darfur crisis.

Speaking to reporters, Moussa said that Arab countries believed that Khartoum must adhere to all agreements reached between it and the United Nations on the Darfur issue.

He said that consultations on the Darfur crisis were still going on, and an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers to be held later in the day in Cairo was aimed at working out a solution to the crisis.

On July 30, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution, giving Sudan 30 days to disarm the Arab militia, known as the Janjaweed, which was blamed for atrocities in Darfur, or face international sanctions.

Darfur is considered the site of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. It has been plagued by a 17-month conflict between the government and two rebel forces formed by local black tribes.

The conflict has left up to 10,000 people dead and some 1 million displaced since the revolt began.