UN’s Annan, NGO’s officials discuss Sudan’s Darfur

UNITED NATIONS, Mar 28, 2005 (UPI) — U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan Monday discussed with non-governmental organization officials how to better generate action in Sudan’s Darfur region.

A sick Sudanese man receives medical attention at a World Doctors health center in Drage camp, on the outskirts of the town of Nyala in southern Darfur. (AFP).

The meeting follows a similar one held three weeks ago with U.N. Security Council members, during which Annan expressed concern the international community was not moving fast enough to deal with Darfur.

Tens of thousands of people have died and some 2 million people have been forced from their homes in Darfur, including 200,000 who fled to neighboring Chad.

The secretary-general, in a Monday statement issued through his spokesman, said the ability of NGOs to operate without restrictions in Darfur was essential. He said they should be able to report freely on violations of human rights and humanitarian law, which he said were continuing on a daily basis.

The NGOs discussed the urgent need for further action by the Security Council — including adopting targeted sanctions and on referring the Darfur situation to the International Criminal Court, as recommended by the International Commission of Inquiry appointed by Annan to probe allegations of human rights abuses.

The Security Council meets Tuesday to discuss current conditions in Sudan.