UN urges government to disarm militias

The United Nations Security Council has condemned attacks on civilians in Sudan's western region of Darfur, and called on the government to disarm the Janjawid militia, which has largely been blamed for the violence. UN News on Wednesday quoted a statement read out by the current president of the Council, Ambassador Munir Akram of Pakistan, as saying thousands of people had been killed in Darfur, while hundreds of thousands were at risk of dying in the coming months, due to the deteriorating humanitarian situation. "The Council also expresses its deep concern at the continuing reports of large-scale violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law in Darfur, 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," Akram said. The Council, while strongly condemning these actions, stressed that all parties to the humanitarian ceasefire agreement signed (on the 8th of) last month in the Chadian capital, N'djamena "committed themselves to refraining from any act of violence or any other abuse against civilian populations, in particular women and children, and that the government of Sudan also committed itself to neutralising the armed Janjawid militias". The Council also called on opposition groups and the government to facilitate the immediate deployment of monitors in Darfur, and to ensure their free movement in the area. It expressed serious concern about continuing logistical impediments prohibiting a rapid response in the face of a "stark and mounting" crisis, and called on the government to fulfil its announced commitment to cooperate fully and expeditiously with relief efforts ahead of the approaching rainy season. In this respect, the Council called on all the parties to the Darfur conflict to allow "full, unimpeded access by humanitarian personnel" to the affected population.