Straw Tells Sudan it Must Do More for Darfur

After meeting with government officials in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, Straw visited the Abu Shouk refugee camp in Darfur. The British Foreign Minister observed that the Sudanese government endeavored to fulfill the United Nations’ (UN) demands.

Straw emphasized that despite the safe appearance of the refugee camps, the refugees still have concerns about whether or not they should return home. The Minister indicated that the government took steps to deliver humanitarian aid to the camps and provide security. He said he would report this situation to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The UK takes a leading role in dealing with the problems of Sudan since it was once a British colony. Straw’s visit to the region comes one week before the expiration of the UN’s disarmament ultimatum. Up to 30,000 people may have been killed and over 1.2 million rendered homeless because of the civil war in Darfur.