France condemns forceful population movement in Sudan’s Darfur

PARIS, France, Nov 3, 2004 (PANA) — The French foreign ministry Wednesday expressed deep concern over the forceful movements of refugees and displaced persons in the troubled western Darfur region of Sudan.

“If confirmed, such operations violate resolutions 1.556 and
1.564 of the UN Security Council and the agreement between the Sudanese government and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

“The agreement indicates that displaced persons should return
home voluntarily under IOM supervision,” said Anne-Cécile Di
Borgo, French Foreign Office spokesperson.

Di Borgo condemned the repeated violations of the cease-fire, and urged “all Sudanese stakeholders, the Khartoum government as well as the rebel movements, to fully observe the cease-fire agreement”.

“France calls on all Sudanese parties to take advantage of the on-going talks in Abuja, Nigeria to genuinely and positively negotiate,” she told a press conference here.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Tuesday expressed
disappointment over the forceful refugee movements by Sudanese authorities in the Nyalla area of southern Darfur.

In that area, 18 persons have allegedly been kidnapped by the Sudan Liberation Army, one of the two rebel movements fighting the Khartoum government.

Approximately 70,000 people have been killed in the Darfur war, according to UN statistics, which also indicated that 150,000 others sought refuge in neighbouring Chad due to the fighting between the army and Sudanese rebels.