Blair Plans to Send Troops to Darfur
In Sudan’s Darfur region, where skirmishes between tribes and militia groups have been occurring since early 2003, at least 10,000 people have reportedly died and more than one million people were forced to flee.
Western countries accuse the Sudanese government of remaining passive to the genocide occurring in Darfur. Several members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council are preparing a resolution to impose sanctions on Sudan. In response the Sudan government yesterday warned Great Britain and America not to interfere with its internal affairs.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and US Secretary of State Colin Powell are expected to meet today to discuss the crisis. Germany Foreign Minister Josckha Fischer meanwhile, asked UN interim Security Council member Pakistan not to object to a UN decision to punish Sudan.
Annan, Powell and Fischer visited Sudan earlier this month and claimed that Khartoum administration refrained from putting a stop to the Arab Janjaweed guerillas in the region. The Janjaweed are reportedly the main militia group committing human rights violations against the inhabitants of Darfur.
While the Sudanese administration admits that serious incidents occurred in the region, they accuse the Western countries of blowing these incidents out of proportion in an attempt to cause the breakup of Sudan. The Khartoum government and opposition forces failed to arrive at an agreement in peace talks held last week in Ethiopia.
