afrol News, 26 February - New reports from Sudan's troubled Darfur region indicate that the government-allied Janjaweed militia and local rebels still are fighting. New attacks on civilians and refugees are also reported and international aid still has very limited access to Darfur.

According to reports presented in the European Parliament and referred to by the European Union (EU), the war in Darfur is far from over. The EU Presidency yesterday expressed its "serious concern at the situation in the Darfur region of western Sudan," following these reports.

Sudanese President Omer Hassan Ahmed Al Bashir on 9 February had promised "unfettered access to humanitarian aid" workers to the war-ravaged Darfur region and declared that the war there now was over. There would now be an "end to military operations in the entire region of Darfur," after a total victory for government troops and their militias, President Al Bashir said.

The following week, the UN sent an expert team to the urban centres of Darfur to assess the need for humanitarian aid and to start an operation to assist the many persons displaced by the warfare. Until now, however, the UN and international humanitarian organisations have not been granted an "unfettered access" to rural Darfur.

The reason behind this Sudanese halt in aid operations is expected to be the ongoing large-scale military operation still going on in rural Darfur. Here, rebel forces have refused to lay down arms and, according to information presented to the EU, the government supported Janjaweed militias continue their operations.

The Janjaweed militias have been blamed for the worst atrocities against civilians during the entire Darfur war. Their tactics reportedly have been to destroy entire rural communities that were suspected of supporting the rebels. The EU now has information that the militias "continue to systematically target villages and centres for internally displaced persons in their attacks."

The scale of the humanitarian crisis continues to escalate, with internally displaced persons estimated to be in excess of 700,000 requiring urgent humanitarian assistance, according to EU reports.

The EU now has protested the continued warfare and lack of aid access to the regions. The Union called on the Sudanese government "to grant UN agencies and other relief organisations continued and full access to all areas of Darfur, as the plight of the local populations requires urgent attention."

In a statement issued by the Irish Presidency, the EU said it was "alarmed" at the reports of continued Janjaweed atrocities against Darfur civilians. "The EU strongly condemns the attacks and calls upon the government of Sudan to put an end to Janjaweed atrocities," the statement said.

Finally, the European countries urged the Sudanese government to "thoroughly investigate the attacks carried out and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice."

Also the Darfur rebel groups were asked to commit to providing safe passage to relief agencies and refrain from any activity that harms the delivery of relief.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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