US remains concerned about violence in Darfur, Sudan

WASHINGTON, Jan 10, 2005 (Xinhua) — The United States remains concerned about violence in the Darfur region, Sudan, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said here on Monday.

A girl rests against a flimsy shack at Abushouk camp near El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, October 31, 2004. (Reuters).

“We remain concerned about violence in the Darfur region, and we remain concerned about the ability of humanitarian aid to flow freely to those displaced persons in the region,” McClellan told a news brfiefing.

McClellan made the remarks after the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement signed a final comprehensive peace accord in Nairobi, Keneya on Sunday, culminating two years of peace process to end the 21-year-old civil war in southern Sudan, the longest-running in Africa.

“We do commend the (Sudanese) government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement for signing the comprehensive peace agreement, ” McClellan said, “But the conflict in the Darfur region continues, and this agreement can serve as an inspiration and model for both sides in that region toward resolving this in a peaceful way.”

The US expects all parties in the Darfur region “to live up their cease-fire commitments, to end the atrocities, ” the spokesman added.

Fighting broke out in Darfur in February 2003 when two non-Arab African groups began a rebellion. The Sudanese government responded by backing Arab militias.

More than 70,000 people were reportedly killed in the violence or have died from hunger and disease in the area.