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United Nations Questions Sudanese Government Actions on Darfur

04 April 2006

United States expresses concern over Sudan's treatment of U.N. official

By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent

United Nations – U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is trying to reach Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to discuss Sudan's refusal to allow a senior U.N. official to visit the war-torn region of Darfur, a U.N. spokesman said April 4.

Sudanese authorities prevented U.N. Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland from carrying out a planned visit to Darfur April 3.  On April 4, the Sudanese government prevented Egeland from flying over the region on his way to visit refugees in Chad.

Egeland told reporters that he believed the government "does not want me to see what is going on in Darfur" especially renewed attacks on civilians by Jingaweit militia. Such attacks have displaced an estimated 200,000 people.  Government troops and Jingaweit are harassing aid workers and the situation is getting dramatically worse, Egeland said.

Humanitarian relief operations in Sudan total $1.5 billion annually.

UNITED STATES EXPRESSES CONCERN

In Washington, State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli called the developments "deeply disturbing."

"We view them with serious concern," Ereli told reporters April 3.

"The fact of the matter is innocent people continue to die in Darfur as a result of violence and as a result of disease and malnourishment that is a consequence of the violence," he said.  "So there is a crying humanitarian need to address in Darfur, and that's why it's so hard to understand why a government would refuse to allow a senior U.N. official responsible for providing relief to a region to help its own citizens."

"This certainly sends the wrong signal about where the government of Sudan stands on the issue of humanitarian relief and cooperation with the international community to address the problem of Darfur," Ereli said.

On April 4, the Security Council received a private briefing on the situation, the most serious clash between the U.N. and the Sudanese government since planning began at U.N. headquarters for the United Nations to take over duties from the 7,000 African Union (AU) peacekeeping force in Darfur.  The AU force is neither large enough nor sufficiently mobile to protect civilians throughout the province.

Ambassador Wang Guangya of China, U.N. Security Council president for April, said that council members have scheduled several briefings on Darfur during the month, including one from Egeland after his return to U.N. headquarters.

"The [Security Council] members share the concerns of the secretary-general," Wang told journalists.  "The members call on all parties, including the government of Sudan, to provide more cooperation to the important missions of the United Nations."

In March, the Security Council renewed the mandate of the U.N. Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) until September.  In its resolution, the council instructed the secretary-general to expedite planning for a U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur and present force options by April 24.  (See related article.)

The United States is the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to Darfur and has provided support for the African Union mission.  U.S. military experts have also been assisting U.N. Peacekeeping Operations in planning for the new peacekeeping operation.

For additional information on U.S. policy, see Darfur Humanitarian Emergency.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)