- The UN Security Council today finally agreed on a resolution that strongly condemns the attacks on civilians in Sudan's Darfur region. The Council said the Sudanese government must reign in the "Arab" Janjaweed militias, which it so far has supported and which are believed to commit an ethnic cleansing campaign in Darfur.
With widespread human rights violations occurring alongside a deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Darfur region of western Sudan, the UN Security Council this night condemned attacks on civilians and "called on the Khartoum government to reign in the Arab militia carrying out the strikes on the black African population," according to a UN report.
A statement was read out in which the 15-member body voiced its "deep concern" at the continuing reports of large-scale violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law, "including indiscriminate attacks on civilians, sexual violence, forced displacement and acts of violence, especially those with an ethnic dimension, and demands that those responsible be held accountable."
The Security Council strongly condemned those acts and stressed that all parties to the humanitarian ceasefire agreement, signed last month in the Chadian capital of N'djamena, committed themselves to refraining from any act of violence or any other abuse against civilians, particularly women and children.
While welcoming that accord, the Security Council also called on the government of Sudan to respect its commitments to "ensure that the Arab Janjaweed militias - reported to be carrying out attacks against the black African population of Darfur - are neutralised and disarmed," the UN reports.
It has been widely documented that the Janjaweed militias have operated under government protection in the Darfur region. Here, their ethnic cleansing campaign has affected up to two million Darfurians, which stand without any livelihood as the region enters its rainy season and becomes more or less isolated from the world.
According to the latest UN estimates, about one of the two million war victims have fled their homes. Some 200,000 of these have fled into neighbouring Chad. The Janjaweed and Khartoum officials are repeatedly reported to have hindered humanitarian aid supplies to these war victims, who could face starvation if aid doesn't reach them before the rains make the region poorly accessible.
The UN Security Council this night nevertheless welcomed the recent announcement by the Sudanese government that it would issue visas to all humanitarian workers quickly, eliminate the need for travel permits and ease the entrance and clearance of equipment need for humanitarian purposes.
However the Council expressed its serious concern about "continued logistical impediments" prohibiting a rapid response in the face of a "stark and mounting" crisis, and called on the Khartoum government to fulfil its announced commitment to cooperate fully and expeditiously with relief efforts ahead of the approaching rainy season.
The international community has urged the UN to table a strong reaction to the ongoing crisis in Darfur. There have also been an increased number of voices demanding a UN armed intervention in Darfur to prevent what is seen as preparations of genocide. This night's Security Council resolution was the first forceful UN answer to the Darfur crisis.
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