Red Cross plans airlift to Sudan region

By ED JOHNSON
The Associated Press

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Sudan's interior minister, meanwhile, said a cease-fire with rebel factions in Darfur was violated twice on the opening day of peace talks that aim to bring an end to the crisis.

The United Nations calls Darfur the world's worst humanitarian crisis. More than 30,000 people have been killed and 1.4 million forced to flee their homes in the 18 months of fighting between African rebel groups and Arab militia known as the Janjaweed.

Interior Minister Abdel-Rahim Hussein said Monday's attacks by Sudanese Liberation Army fighters, which left several police injured, did not bode well for peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria, which opened the same day. But he insisted the government remains committed to the peace process.

"It still means we continue the talks because we think the only way to reach a solution is through negotiation," he said after visiting the scene of one attack — a police post responsible for security at Zam Zam refugee camp, 10 miles south of the regional capital, Al-Fasher. He said the second attack was against a police car near Tawilah, 35 miles west of Al-Fasher.

In announcing plans for the airlift, the Red Cross said it was planning six trips carrying trucks, other equipment and medical supplies by Sept. 5.

The peace talks in Nigeria are a last-minute attempt for progress before Monday's U.N. Security Council deadline for Khartoum to disarm the Arab militia accused of terrorizing African farmers or face economic and diplomatic sanctions.

Sudan, which has long denied backing a scorched-earth policy by the Janjaweed to crush the revolt, insists it is working with the international community to ease the crisis and is moving to rein in the Arab militia.

Also yesterday, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw toured a sprawling desert camp housing 40,000 displaced people and urged the Sudanese government to do more to make it safe for the frightened refugees to return home.

Straw, whose country has veto power on the Security Council, said officials should be in a position by week's end to decide whether Sudan's government had made sufficient progress in easing the crisis to avoid sanctions.

Later, on his return to Khartoum, Straw met with Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir and urged him to implement the Security Council resolutions.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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