UN envoy for Sudan voices deep concern at rebel violation of security accord in Darfur

The top United Nations envoy for Sudan today voiced deep concern at the escalating violence in the Darfur region over the last two days, calling a rebel attack a clear violation of recently signed accords with the Government which places tens of thousands of civilians at risk.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative Jan Pronk said the attack by the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), taking the town of Tawila in North Darfur, had already forced the suspension of humanitarian activities around El Fashir and threatened other humanitarian activities in the region.

The accords he referred to were the Protocols on the Improvement of the Humanitarian Situation and on the Enhancement of the Security Situation in Darfur signed in the Nigerian capital of Abuja earlier this month by the Government and two rebel groups - the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

Mr. Pronk also condemned in the strongest terms the killing of policemen and civilians at a camp in South Darfur housing displaced persons, and called on the Sudanese Government and the SLA to halt all fighting there immediately.

A special meeting between the UN, the African Union, which has monitors in Darfur, the Government and major donor countries will be held tomorrow to consider the consequences of the attack on Tawila.

The United Nations has termed the conflict in Darfur, a region the size of France, the world's worst humanitarian crisis. About 1.45 million people have been internally displaced and Janjaweed militias stand accused of killing and raping thousands of villagers after the rebels took up arms last year to demand a greater share of economic resources. Another 200,000 are living as refugees in neighbouring Chad.

Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency said today the Sudanese authorities had authorized it to resume protection work in South Darfur and start activities in North Darfur. Three of its four staff in South Darfur were temporarily relocated to West Darfur on 11 November after they had been restricted to Nyala by the authorities and prevented from carrying out protection work on behalf of internally displaced people.

"We welcome this development and will be mobilizing our staff to return to their base in Nyala in the coming days," UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesman Ron Redmond told a news briefing in Geneva.

In West Darfur, some security restrictions were lifted two weeks ago and UNHCR teams have resumed regular field missions to villages and settlements of internally displaced persons (IDPs), particularly near the Chad border. The villagers and IDPs have stressed to UNHCR the importance of regular visits by international agencies, which they say provide reassurance and have helped improve security.