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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Friday 22 October 2004

SUDAN: Ceasefire violations hamper aid to Darfur - UNAMIS

NAIROBI, 22 Oct 2004 (IRIN) - The number of ceasefire breaches in the Darfur region in western Sudan increased considerably during September and early October, Radhia Achouri, spokeswoman for the United Nations Advance Mission in Sudan (UNAMIS), told IRIN on Thursday.

"Since the ceasefire was signed in April this year, we have not experienced a period of absolute compliance with it," Achouri said. "But, the repeated ceasefire violations of the past month have had a very serious impact on the UN's ability to deliver humanitarian assistance to affected populations."

Achouri mentioned that the United Nations had received reports of a heavy aerial bombardment in North Darfur, but were awaiting official confirmation of the incident by ceasefire monitors of the African Union (AU).

In another confirmed incident, suspected rebels of the Sudanes Liberation Army attacked government positions near Kutum in North Darfur on 19 October, she said. A number of injured people were admitted to a nearby Red Cross clinic.

The AU agreed on Wednesday to boost the number of peacekeepers in Darfur and to send in a civilian police force, Said Djinnit, head of the AU's Peace and Security Council, told reporters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

The deployment of the armed force, which would number 3,320, was expected in a matter of weeks. The one-year mission would be made up of 2,241 troops, of whom, 450 would be military observers and 815 civilian police. There would also be 164 support staff. The AU currently has less than 400 troops in the region.

Achouri called the decision by the AU "a real breakthrough", saying she was very hopeful that the new AU forces, with an expanded mandate, would lead to real change on the ground in Darfur.

The deteriorating security situation in Darfur and its impact on humanitarian operations and the safety of aid workers will be further discussed at a meeting between the top UN envoy in Sudan, Jan Pronk, and Sudan's foreign minister, Mustafa Osman Ismail.

The war in Darfur pits the Sudanese government troops and militias, allegedly allied to the government, against rebels fighting to end what they have called marginalisation and discrimination of the region's inhabitants by the state. The conflict has displaced an estimated 1.45 million people and sent another 200,000 fleeing across the border into Chad. The UN has described the Darfur problem as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

[ENDS]

This material comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2004