Military

7 July 2004 – Using a satellite link to brief the Security Council on his visit last week to Sudan and neighbouring Chad, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today reiterated his concern about the grave situation caused by the deadly violence and ethnic displacement wracking the Darfur region of western Sudan.

Speaking to a closed meeting of the Council from Nairobi, Kenya, where he is continuing the African leg of an official trip, Mr. Annan characterized the situation of the internally displaced people of Darfur and of the Sudanese refugees in Chad as grave.

"Too many of the internally displaced, in particular, live in sub-human conditions - with inadequate food, shelter, water, medicine and other basic supplies," Mr. Annan said according to the text of his briefing released afterwards.

In New York, a top UN humanitarian official, who also briefed the Council, later described the relief effort as "a logistical nightmare" and warned that a renewed outbreak of fighting in Darfur would lead to a death toll in the hundreds of thousands.

The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland, who accompanied Mr. Annan to Sudan and Chad, warned of a potentially massive death toll if Khartoum does not take steps to end the fighting with two rebel groups and to disarm and demobilize the mainly Arab militias.

"It is so vulnerable now that if there is an outbreak of renewed fighting, the whole programme of our humanitarian lifeline will fold immediately, and hundreds of thousands of people may die," Mr. Egeland told reporters after the Council session.

Before Mr. Annan departed Sudan on Saturday, the Government and the UN issued a joint communiqué in which Khartoum pledged to undertake a series of measures, including disarming the militias, bringing the perpetrators of human rights abuses to justice and removing any obstacles to humanitarian access.

For months UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have complained of restrictions hampering their attempts to bring relief to Darfur's internally displaced, who are now estimated to have swelled in number to 1.2 million. Between 150,000 and 200,000 refugees have fled to Chad and at least 800,000 other people need emergency food aid.

Welcoming the promised removal of those obstacles, Mr. Egeland said that humanitarian workers still need better security and more funding to do their work. UN agencies and NGOs have reported this week that military officials have searched some aid workers and looted their possessions.

Funding also presents a problem. UN agencies have received less than $140 million of the $350 million they say is the minimum needed to provide food rations, clean water, sanitation and other relief supplies to 2 million people until at least the end of this year. Trucks, helicopters and airplanes to transport food are also required.

"It is a logistical nightmare for us to help them.[and] it would be ironic now, when we have access finally, that we would be unable to save lives because we only have 40 per cent of what we've asked for," Mr. Egeland said.

Meanwhile, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe said humanitarian agencies have also begun reporting outbreaks of fighting in north Darfur between the government troops and the militias.

At the Abu Shouk camp in north Darfur, aid workers are now providing relief to the several thousand people who were relocated from another camp last week without warning by Sudanese authorities.

In a separate development, Ms. Okabe said Mr. Annan met with UN staff in Nairobi today and is also scheduled to hold talks with Kenyan President Mwai Kabaki.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: 7 July story on Sudan

Please note that during a press encounter on the plane to Nairobi, Kenya, prior to his briefing of the Security Council on 7 July 2004, the Secretary-General made the following remarks in response to a question about a Security Council resolution on Sudan:

Secretary-General: "I think tactically it would be wise not to rush into the resolution but hold it over their heads. I think in some situations the threat is better because once you put your ace-card down, you have no leverage, so the threat is better. I think they should welcome their commitments and tell them that they want one hundred per cent performance and we are monitoring and if you fail to deliver we are ready to take further measures."

The transcript of the those remarks became available only after our story covering Mr. Annan's briefing was filed and posted on 7 July. His remarks supercede the position that was reported in the 7 July story.