UN pushing for "humanitarian ceasefire" in Sudan's Darfur region

Tuesday January 6th, 2004.

PARIS, Jan 6 (AFP) -- A UN special envoy for Sudan heads for Chad to enlist Ndjamena's support for a humanitarian ceasefire to assist refugees caught in the fighting between rebels and government forces in Sudan's western Darfur region.

"I am going to Ndjamena first to ask Chadian authorities, mainly President Idriss Deby, to help me secure a humanitarian ceasefire between rebels of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and Khartoum forces," UN special envoy Tom Vraalsen told AFP during a stopover here Tuesday.

The SLM insurgency broke out last March in the remote Darfur region which borders Chad.

Rebels in Darfur complain of economic neglect by the government in Khartoum.

Chadian mediation led to two ceasefires, which were violated. The two warring sides held a third round of talks in the Chadian capital in December but there was no breakthrough.

Vraalsen said the conflict, which is receiving scant media attention, has already claimed 3,000 lives and displaced 600,000 people out of a total population of one million.

"There are already 90,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad and I am going there to take stock of their situation. I will discuss it in the capital, then I will go near the border where they found asylum," he added.

The UN emissary said a ceasefire was essential as fighting "means insecurity for humanitarian workers" who cannot travel Darfur to assist 600,000 displaced people.

"It is important to stop the fighting now. I am in contact with Khartoum authorities and I want to discuss the situation with the rebels when I head to Abeche, near the border," said the envoy, who stressed that the insurgents wanted economic development for Darfur.

The Darfur insurgency flares just as the Sudanese government and southern rebels have made dramatic progress during peace talks in Kenya toward ending their 20-year civil war.

But Vraalsen said the Darfur would not jeopardize an anticipated imminent peace deal between Khartoum and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA).

"They are holding talks in Naivasha, Kenya. It's an irreversible peace process, which will last. They will soon announce a draft agreement which will spell out the ceasefire" between north and south," he added.

The envoy for UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the accord would hold because the Sudanese parties are negotiating directly even though the United States, Britain and Norway have assisted the process for several months.

Vraalsen, who thanked President Deby for his peace mediation in Darfur, was due to discuss developments in Chad and Sudan with French foreign ministry officials during his stay.