Annan urges parties to Darfur conflict to persevere with peace talks

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has welcomed an agreement on a framework for talks to resolve the problems in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, but urged the parties to continue negotiating "in good faith". In a statement issued by his spokesman on Wednesday, Annan called on the parties to the Darfur conflict to observe their ceasefire agreement "and do everything possible to prevent attacks on civilians". The two sides signed a ceasefire agreement on 8 April to allow humanitarian assistance to reach the victims of the conflict. The UN estimates that 1.2 million people are affected by the conflict. The secretary-general stressed the need for "unimpeded access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance" to the affected populations. Annan commended the African Union (AU) for sending a ceasefire observer mission to Darfur, and encouraged "its speedy deployment". He assured AU and the government of Chad, which is hosting the talks, and thousands of refugees, of the UN's "support and cooperation in restoring peace in Darfur". Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) says it has started assisting people affected by the conflict, who had been unreachable before the ceasefire. In a statement issued on Wednesday, UNICEF said it has vaccinated "48,000 children between the ages of two and 15 against meningitis in several camps and in the nearby communities of Kutum and Kabkabiyah in Northern Darfur." "More than one million people are already affected by this crisis and many more could suffer in the coming months," Joanna van Gerpen, the UNICEF representative in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, is quoted in the statement as saying. "It is imperative that we take maximum advantage of this window to save as many lives as possible." The Darfur conflict, which erupted early last year between the Sudanese government and allied militias, on the one hand, and two rebel groups on the other hand, has displaced about one million people, while some 110,000 others have fled to Chad.