Reports of Arab militia attacks continue in Darfur – UN
By Opheera McDoom
KHARTOUM, Sept 7 (Reuters) – Arab militias have attacked two villages in the Darfur region of western Sudan in the past week, the United Nations said on Tuesday, despite the government’s commitment to disarm the militias and protect civilians.
“Most recent reported attacks by Arab militias included the attack on Ishma, an SLA (rebel) controlled village, on Sept. 3 … and attacks on the village on Golgol, south of Thur, on Sept. 2,” the U.N. situation report on Darfur said.
The report also said security had deteriorated in Darfur with recent incidents of banditry, including the armed robbery of cash and communications equipment from two clearly marked U.N. vehicles in South Darfur state on Sept. 2.
A U.N. Security Council resolution deadline has expired for Sudan to start disarming the Arab militias known as Janjaweed, whose raids have helped drive more than a million people off their land in Darfur over the past 18 months.
The United States is preparing a new U.N. resolution on Darfur but diplomats say sanctions are unlikely at this stage.
“Agencies fear the security situation may further deteriorate. Reported clashes between GoS (government of Sudan) and (rebel) … forces have been compounded by increasing incidents of armed robbery including on humanitarian workers mainly in North and South Darfur states,” the report said.
The insecurity has closed two main roads in Darfur to U.N. traffic, it added.
The United Nations said the detention of Ministry of Health staff and other aid workers by rebels had delayed a vaccination programme, now expected to resume on Tuesday.
After years of low-intensity conflict between Arab nomads and African farmers over scarce resources, rebels launched a revolt in February last year, accusing the government of arming the Janjaweed to loot and burn African villages in a campaign of ethnic cleansing. Khartoum denies the charge, saying the Janjaweed are outlaws.
The report said it would conduct a thorough investigation into reports in South Darfur that the government was forcing displaced persons to return to their homes, which would violate a joint U.N.-Khartoum agreement signed last month.
But it said West Darfur state remained relatively calm and the World Food Programme (WFP) reached about 940,000 displaced people in August, 260,000 short of the number in need, despite logistical problems and heavy rains which made many roads completely impassable.
“We won’t feel at all comfortable until we have the capacity to reach every last person who is in need of our assistance in Darfur,” WFP country director Ramiro Lopes da Silva said. “The number of people that remain to be reached is worryingly high and we simply have to do better in September.”
“In Darfur we are still only two-thirds funded for our food needs in 2004, and our special operations to carry out food distribution are still urgently in need of further support,” he added. WFP needs $252 million for its Darfur operations in 2004 and has so far received $158 million, a 37 percent shortfall.
The government and the Darfur rebels have been holding peace talks in the Nigerian capital Abuja but progress has been slow. The rebels have refused, pending a deal on security, to sign a humanitarian agreement reached with the government last week.
Analysts said on Tuesday the peace talks have reached an impasse due to weak diplomatic pressure on the rebels and the government’s fears that Darfur will secede. (additional reporting by Tume Ahemba in Abuja)