UN awaits report, not expected to slap sanctions on Sudan over Darfur crisis

UNITED NATIONS, Aug 31 (AFP) — The UN Security Council on Thursday was to examine the evolution of the situation in Darfur after its warning to Sudan a month ago, but it appeared unlikely to slap sanctions on Khartoum in the short run.

The 15-member council was due to listen to a report by Jan Pronk, UN chief Kofi Annan’s special envoy to Sudan, who will offer a review of the situation a month after the council adopted a resolution giving the Sudanese government 30 days to re-establish security in Darfur and aid the population or face sanctions.

Nearly 200,000 people from Sudan’s western Darfur region have been forced to flee into neighboring Chad by fighting between the government, backed by its Arab militia allies, and two ethnic minority rebel groups.

According to the United Nations, a total of 1.4 million people have been driven from their homes in Darfur since the fighting started in February of last year, while between 30,000 and 50,000 have been killed.