Darfur Disarmament Under Way, Says Sudan
Sudan has started disarming Arab militias accused of sowing death and terror in its western region of Darfur and is confident the process will proceed smoothly, Foreign Minster Mustafa Osman Ismail said yesterday. âIt is under way,â Ismail said, following his governmentâs pledge on Saturday to disarm the Arab âJanjaweedâ fighters responsible for uprooting more than one million people and creating what the United Nations has called the worldâs worst humanitarian crisis. But rebels said the operation was a cover for preparations for a new wave of ethnic cleansing. They said a large government force was being mobilized in the regional capital. Ismail said a joint commission agreed during last weekâs visit to the region by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan would verify the disarmament of the militia. âWe are making real progress,â he told Reuters.
Posted by: Fred 2004-07-05 |