Sudanese minister calls on international aid agencies to come Darfur

Monday April 19th, 2004.

NYALA, Sudan, April 19, 2004 (AP) -- A Sudanese Cabinet minister called on international aid agencies to come to work in a western region where the government has been accused of backing "ethnic cleansing" of Africans by Arab tribespeople.

The government also has been accused of keeping aid groups and journalists out of Darfur to hide human rights abuses. But Humanitarian Affairs Minister Ibrahim Hamid, speaking Monday to reporters accompanying him on a tour of the region, said aid agencies were welcome because a 45-day cease-fire signed April 8 by the government and Darfur rebels was holding.

"As you can see, the psychological effect of this cease-fire is tremendous and since Sunday there has been no violation of this cease- fire," Hamid said in Nyala, 1,300 kilometers west of Khartoum . "We hereby declare that all NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and agencies are welcome to come to Darfur."

Thousands of people have been killed and more than 860,000 others forced to flee their homes in Darfur, an impoverished region of Sudan that borders Chad, since two main rebel groups took up arms in February 2003 to fight for a share in power and wealth.

The government has denied allegations from U.N. officials and human rights groups that its campaign against the rebels has included backing murderous raids by Arab militia against Africans in Darfur. The two rebel groups, along with refugees, have accused the government of bombing and attacking civilians.

Hamid said Monday a high-level U.N. mission was expected in Darfur Tuesday to assess humanitarian needs. Hamid had said last week the 10-member team led by Jan Egeland, U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, would visit each of the three states of Darfur for four days starting Sunday. Hamid didn't explain the delay.

Egeland has described the violence against Africans in Darfur as "ethnic cleansing, but not genocide." He also has called the situation "one of the most forgotten and neglected humanitarian crises."

There was little sign of the recent fighting in Nyala, a bustling regional capital. But officials in Nyala said two camps nearby sheltered a total of 40,000 people who had fled their homes because of the violence. Officials said the displaced people were afraid to return home despite the cease-fire.

The government and rebels are seeking a permanent solution at peace talks in neighboring Chad that resulted in the truce.

The fighting in Darfur is unrelated to a 21-year civil war in southern Sudan