Sudanese FM: UN sanctions counter-productive to security in Darfur

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 24 (AFP) — Sudan on Thursday condemned UN threats of sanctions against Khartoum, saying they would only undermine efforts to restore security in the devastated western region of Darfur.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail [photo] told world leaders gathered at the UN General Assembly that the sanctions threat was an “incentive” to anti-government rebels in Darfur.

A UN Security Council resolution adopted last Saturday called for an investigation into charges of genocide in Darfur, and warned Sudan of possible sanctions against its oil industry unless it protects the region’s population.

Arguing that the resolution sent an “erroneous message” to the rebels to be intransigent, Ismail called on the United Nations “not to complicate the situation on the ground” and to support the efforts of the African Union, which plans to send up to 5,000 troops to help end the violence in Darfur.

“We hope the international community will cooperate with us, especially the Security Council, to find a solution instead of sending threats and condemnations,” he said.

The bloodshed began in February 2003 when rebels rose up against Khartoum to demand an end to the marginalisation of their region — mainly peopled by black Africans and one of the poorest in Sudan.

UN officials say pro-government Arab Janjaweed militias have carried out a scorched-earth campaign of ethnic cleansing against non-Arab minorities over the past 19 months.

International aid agencies have also voiced concern that instead of disarming and disbanding the Janjaweed, the government has been incorporating them into the regular forces, mainly the army and police, and assigning them to guard camps for displaced persons in Darfur.

Ismail denied both charges and said human rights groups were welcome in Darfur to assess the situation there.

“The doors of Sudan will be open for all those who want to know the truth,” he said. “We have nothing to hide.”

Since the conflict in Sudan began, some 50,000 people have been killed, and nearly 1.5 million displaced, according to UN estimates.