Annan urges quick end to conflict in Darfur

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday called for the quick resolution of the conflict in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, saying that civil strife there could hinder efforts to bring long-lasting peace to the whole country.

"We realise that the situation in Darfur has to be dealt with quickly otherwise Sudan cannot talk in terms of comprehensive peace even though the north-south discussions have gone extremely well, and we are on the verge of concluding that," Annan said after holding talks in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, with President Mwai Kibaki.

Fighting between the government and rebels, which first broke out in Darfur early last year, has displaced about two million people, with up to 200,000 seeking refuge in neighbouring Chad. The UN and other aid agencies have described the conflict in Darfur as "the world's worst humanitarian crisis".

In a joint communique with the UN at the end of Annan's visit to Khartoum on 3 July, the Sudanese government formally committed itself to the immediate disarmament of Janjawid militias, who are accused of perpetrating atrocities against civilians in Darfur. But on Tuesday, the UN said armed groups, some in military uniform, had continued to attack humanitarian convoys in Darfur.

Annan thanked Kenya for the mediating role it was playing in efforts to bring peace to neighbouring Sudan and Somalia.

"I also had the opportunity to inform the president how the international community had welcomed his government, the reform agenda that they came into government with, the issue of good governance and transparency which the president and his team had talked about," said Annan.

He expressed the hope that Kenya's constitutional review process would proceed smoothly. "We also touched on the constitutional process, and I hope all this will go ahead smoothly in an open and transparent manner, and Kenya will set an example for the rest of Africa as it has done in the past," said Anna.

Demonstrations organised in the capital, Nairobi, on 3 July to call for quick adoption of Kenya's new draft constitution were marred by violence as political activists clashed with police. Police shot and killed a man in the western town of Kisumu on Wednesday when another pro-reform demonstration turned violent.