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UN:
SECRETARY-GENERAL ALARMED BY DEADLY AIR, GROUND ATTACK ON SOUTH DARFUR
TOWN : 13/9/2007 (MaximsNews.com, U.N.) |
UNITED NATIONS - / www.MaximsNews.com@
U.N./
- 13 September 2007 –
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday expressed
deep concern at the Sudanese Government’s “brutal aerial and ground
attack” on a South Darfur town that has left at least 25 civilians dead and
took place just days after the United Nations chief visited the war-torn region.
Mr. Ban
told the Security Council that the attack indicated that “we must all renew
our strong appeals to the parties to show restraint in the lead-up to political
negotiations in October” that are being held to try to resolve the conflict
that has engulfed Darfur since 2003.
The
African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) – which is operating in Darfur until the
hybrid UN-AU peacekeeping force (UNAMID) takes over next year – reported that
fierce fighting took place yesterday afternoon after an aerial and ground attack
on Haskanita in South Darfur State.
In a
closed-door briefing on his visit to Sudan, Chad and Libya, which ended at the
weekend, Mr. Ban said the attack was an apparent retaliation for an attack by
the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) on the Wad Banda military base on
29 August. JEM is one of the rebel groups that did not sign last year’s Darfur
Peace Agreement with the Government.
More
than 200,000 people have been killed and at least 2.2 million others have had to
leave their homes because of the Darfur conflict between Government forces,
allied Janjaweed militia and the rebel groups. An estimated 4 million Darfurians
depend on humanitarian aid.
Mr. Ban
said that although his trip to the region had brought “good progress,”
particularly the announcement that political negotiations between the Government
and rebels will take place in Libya on 27 October, “I will not say that we
have had any successes yet.”
The
Secretary-General said the UN is moving quickly to establish a trust fund to
support the peace process and other assistance measures, and he told Council
members that he will soon appeal to Member States to contribute to that fund.
“Now
is the time to redouble our efforts, to move with even more speed to make good
on commitments and the positive momentum we have generated so that we can
finally, with the Sudanese people, see an end to the suffering and insecurity in
Darfur.”
Labels: United
Nations, U.N.,
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