 Ignoring a peace pact, armed militiamen attacked several villages this week in Sudan's Darfur region, killing at least 11 people and wounding many others, the United Nations said Wednesday.
| Did anyone expect them to adhere to a peace pact? |
The raids occurred in seven villages around the town of Kutum in north Darfur on Monday, the U.N. said. The U.N. did not blame any specific group for the attacks, but the African Union has said the raids were carried out by Arab militias known as the Janjaweed.
| Who'd you expect? Lapplanders? |
The attacks came as the U.N. and African Union pushed splinter rebel groups to endorse the May 5 agreement between Khartoum and the main rebel leader.
| I'm sure this episode will point out to them the desirability of doing so... |
Some of the rebels who rejected the peace accord enjoy strong support in the refugee camps of Darfur, a vast, arid region in western Sudan. Jan Pronk, the UN chief's special envoy to Sudan, said he was heading to Darfur this week to try to persuade the hold-out rebels to sign the peace agreement.
| That's assuming Bashir lets him in the country and nobody bumps him off. Take the train, Jan, not a helicopter. |
The two international organizations also pressed the Sudan government to fulfill its commitment of disarming the Janjaweed, who have been accused of some of the worst atrocities in the three-year conflict that has left more than 180,000 people dead and displaced another 2.5 million. Khartoum denies backing the Janjaweed but has said it will try to rein them in.
| I expect approximately zippo from that promise. |
The U.N. said the Sudanese government had arrested 23 people since clashes erupted Monday between refugees and Sudanese police in a Darfur refugee camp. At least three people were killed in the camp, including a protester shot by police and a Sudanese military intelligence officer lynched by the crowd. |