Rebel group wants Darfur region under international protection

CAIRO, Oct 4 (AFP) — A main rebel group in Darfur has called for the war-torn region of west Sudan to be placed under international protection, in a letter to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a copy of which was faxed to AFP.

A makeshift camp for internally displaced people near Seleah village in Sudan’s West Darfur province is seen by helicopter Monday, Sep 27, 2004.

The Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) said it wanted to see “Darfur placed under international protection” and declared a “weapons-free zone.” Its letter was released on the eve of a trip to Africa by Blair.

The 19-month-old conflict between government forces and Darfur rebels has cost some 50,000 lives and displaced an estimated 1.4 million people from their homes, with nearly 200,000 others forced to seek refuge in neighboring Chad.

“The people of Darfur have great hopes in international will, humanity and democracy to protect them from the intransigence of the Khartoum regime,” the letter said.

It called for the expansion of an African Union (AU) mission in Darfur to around 30,000 troops owing to the vast size of the region, adding this was the only way to “assure the people of Darfur” over their safety.

AU observers, protected by a military force, are monitoring an April ceasefire accord which both Khartoum and the Darfur rebels groups accuse each other of violating.

The letter also called for increased “political, economic and diplomatic pressure” on the regime.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution in September that threatened sanctions against Sudan’s vital oil industry for its failure to rein in pro-government Arab militias such as the Janjaweed.

The Janjaweed have been blamed for atrocities against African farmers in Darfur, including rape, murder and the wholesale destruction of villages.

The SLM accused the Sudanese government of “not complying in full with the April 8 N’djamena ceasefire agreement,” saying that attacks and rape and other forms of human rights violations were continuing in the region.