US $200 million needed for Darfur crisis, security yet to improve

United Nations agencies need over US $200 million and equipment like helicopters to provide urgently needed humanitarian aid in western Sudan's Darfur region. So far, they had received just $145 million out of the $349 million requested, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Thursday. "We need money and more resources for humanitarian efforts. We need them now, not tomorrow. Tomorrow may already be too late," he said. "We are US $204 million short. I appeal to donors to make good on the pledges they have already made, and to increase their assistance." Annan added that the Sudanese government had not taken "adequate steps " to meet its commitments to disarm the mainly Arab Janjawid militias, who have conducted deadly attacks on Darfur's civilians. On 3 July, Khartoum signed a joint communique with the UN, committing itself to taking a number of measures, including immediately disarming the Janjawid; ensuring that no militias are present in areas surrounding camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs); deploying a "strong, credible and respected" police force in all IDP areas; and undertaking "concrete measures" to end impunity in Darfur. On Wednesday, Annan warned that "the Sudanese government doesn't have forever" to meet its pledges. The UN might take "tougher action" against Khartoum if it was not satisfied that the government was making enough headway in achieving stated targets, he said. Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said he was "completely dissatisfied" with the situation in Darfur. The commitments entered into with the UN had not been fulfilled, US government spokesman, Richard Boucher, told reporters on Thursday. "In fact, we're continuing to get reports of violence, continuing to get reports on insecurity. As the Secretary said yesterday, not enough is being done to break the hold of the Janjawid." The US has tabled a UN Security Council resolution on Darfur that is currently being discussed by Council members. Annan and Powell, who conferred on Darfur "every day or so", were due to meet on Thursday to discuss Darfur, Boucher said. The Security Council had met on Wednesday to discuss a "somewhat revised resolution", he added.