The United Nations threatened on Friday to suspend relief operations in parts of Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur region because of continued attacks against aid workers by rebel fighters.
The UN blames the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), the armed wing of the Sudan Liberation Movement, the main rebel group in the region, for a spate of attacks in north Darfur.
”Several reports indicate that many of these attacks have been waged by SLA factions. Armed robbery and hijackings have endangered humanitarian workers assisting over 450 000 vulnerable people living in the area,” it said in a statement.
It added that the UN has ”credible information” that armed groups have also commandeered vehicles for military purposes, something it said is ”unacceptable and contrary to international humanitarian law”.
”Unless these attacks and harassment stop immediately, the UN and its partners will be obliged to suspend all relief assistance to this particular area till effective safety for humanitarian personnel and assets are guaranteed.”
The organisation said it will hold armed groups and their leaders responsible ”for the failure to assist the extremely vulnerable populations under their control”.
Up to 300 000 people have died and 2,4-million more been displaced in three years of fighting between rebels and Khartoum-backed militias in Darfur.
This week, the UN Security Council and the United States imposed a travel ban and economic sanctions on four Sudanese blamed for bloodshed and rights abuses in Darfur, including rebel, government and allied militia leaders.
African Union mediators brokering an end to the conflict in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, have given the warring parties an April 30 deadline to sign an agreement.
AU and UN officials have warned the Khartoum regime and its rebel foes that they face further international isolation if they do not reach agreement by April 30.
Three years of horror
Darfur began to hit headlines in early 2003, only months after a ceasefire began to bring relief to the south of the country, where a separate conflict had gone on for two decades.
Humanitarian officials estimate between 180 000 and 300 000 civilians have died of disease, hunger and militia attacks.
2003
Darfur rebels, calling for an end to the economic neglect of their region, mount attacks on several towns.
The Khartoum government sends troops, while attacks from pro-government militia known as Janjaweed increase sharply. The Janjaweed are reported to raze entire villages.
Refugees begin to cross the border from Darfur into Chad, which seeks to mediate in the crisis.
2004
A top UN official describes the campaign against Darfur’s non-Arab population as ”ethnic cleansing”.
The Sudanese government signs a ceasefire with the two main Darfur rebel groups after talks in Chad. Sudan also agrees to guarantee safe passage for humanitarian aid teams.
US secretary of state Colin Powell visits the region in June, while the Sudanese government promises to crack down on the Janjaweed, but the violence continues.
The AU decides to send a protection force, with the first troops arriving in August.
In September, Powell for the first time describes the atrocities being committed in Darfur as ”genocide”, although the assessment is not shared by all US allies.
2005
Talks between the Khartoum government and the rebels break down.
A UN-appointed body accuses Sudan of systematic human rights violations in Darfur, while the Security Council says that individuals who commit atrocities can be sent before the International Criminal Court.
The Khartoum government sets up its own tribunal, in an apparent bid to avoid international prosecution.
In September, a new round of peace talks opens in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, but not all the rebels attend. Later in the month, an attack kills 75 people, most of them civilians, in a town in eastern Chad. Chadian President Idriss Déby blames the Janjaweed.
2006
Violence continues, and thousands of Darfur refugees are crammed into camps in eastern Chad.
US President Bush calls for a UN peacekeeping force to be backed up by Nato troops, but Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir refuses.
In early April, Chadian rebels seeking to overthrow Déby almost reach the capital, N’djamena. Déby blames Sudan for supporting them, and breaks off diplomatic relations.
The AU agrees in principle to have its 7 000-strong force, which has suffered from funding problems, replaced by UN troops.
On April 23 an audiotape attributed to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden calls on Muslim fighters to oppose ”crusader thieves” in Darfur.
The UN Security Council places four individuals linked to the strife on a sanctions blacklist, and Washington follows suit. The world body also studies options for a peacekeeping force. — Sapa-AFP