Security council sets April 30 deadline for Darfur peace deal
April 11, 2006
CNN
Original Source: http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/04/11/darfur.un.ap/index.html

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The U.N. Security Council demanded that the Sudanese government and rebels reach agreement by April 30 to end the conflict in Darfur and reaffirmed its determination to hold accountable those blocking peace and violating human rights.
A presidential statement adopted Tuesday by consensus by the 15 council members stressed that an inclusive political settlement is key to peace in Sudan. It backed the peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria, led by the African Union, which resumed Monday.
The Security Council endorsed the decision of the African Union Peace and Security Council setting April 30 as the final deadline for reaching an agreement. The council demands that all parties make the necessary efforts to reach an agreement by this date, the statement said.
Decades of low-level tribal clashes over land and water in the Darfur region erupted into large-scale violence in early 2003 when ethnic African tribes took up arms, accusing the Arab-dominated central government of neglect. The government is accused of responding by unleashing Arab tribal militias known as Janjaweed to murder and rape civilians and lay waste to villages -- a charge it denies.
The fighting in Darfur has left about 180,000 people dead over the past three years -- most from disease and hunger -- and displaced another 2 million from their homes. Seven rounds of talks in Abuja since August 2004 have yet to yield a breakthrough to end the fighting.
But the decision in the latest talks to negotiate directly could result in the signing of a new cease-fire proposed by mediators in the coming days and lead to the conclusion of a peace agreement, an African Union statement cited AU chairman Denis Sassou-Nguesso, the Republic of Congo's president, as saying.
In its statement, the Security Council reiterated concern that the persisting violence in Darfur might further negatively affect the rest of the country as well as the region, including the security of Chad.
Annan condemns recent violence
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in a separate statement from his spokesman, expressed deep concern at the recent intensification of fighting along Chad's eastern border with Sudan's Darfur region and the extension of the armed confrontations to the southern borders with the Central African Republic.
He condemned recent attacks on refugee camps in southern Chad and the killing of two doctors on a U.N.-backed humanitarian mission in the northern Central African Republic, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
Annan said the increased violence is heightening political tensions in Chad and that its spillover effect is undermining international efforts to contribute to the stabilization of the situations in neighboring Darfur and the Central African Republic, Dujarric said.
In its statement, the Security Council reiterated in the strongest terms the need for all parties to the conflict in Darfur to put an immediate end to the violence and atrocities.
The council expressed regret at the Sudanese government's recent refusal to allow U.N. humanitarian chief Jan Egeland to visit Darfur and called for an explanation. It also expressed regret at the government's refusal to renew the contract of the Norwegian Refugee Council, which was running one of the largest camps, and expressed grave concern over the humanitarian consequences.
The council commended the work of the 7,000-strong African Union force, which has been trying to prevent the Darfur conflict from worsening, and welcomed the AU Peace and Security Council's decision in principle on March 10 to hand over the AU force's duties to a U.N. peacekeeping force.
It called on all parties to provide additional support to the AU force until Sept. 30, when the mandate for the AU force expires, and to take all necessary measures to ensure a smooth and successful transfer to a United Nations operation.
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton called the statement a small sign of progress, citing criticism of the Sudanese government over Egeland's visit. He said the next step will be council consideration of a list of people subject to sanctions for blocking peace efforts.
Britain's U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry welcomed the statement, saying the key thing is that between all of us working with the regional organizations, we tackle the problem of the politics, the security and the humanitarian access in Darfur.
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