UN, Agencies Relocate Under Threats in Darfur
Sunday, March 20, 2005 at 01:10PM
TheSpook
The United Nations has withdrawn all international staff in parts of the western Darfur region to a regional capital after Arab militias said they would target foreigners and U.N. convoys in the area, the top U.N. envoy in Sudan said on Wednesday. Jan Pronk told Reuters in an interview that the government had made small steps to disarm the militia, known locally as Janjaweed, in West Darfur state, but more had to be done. The Janjaweed stand accused of a campaign of rape, killing, looting and burning non-Arab villages. "The Janjaweed militia have said that they will now target all foreigners and all U.N. humanitarian convoys so we have withdrawn all people to El-Geneina," he said. The militias gave the warning to the drivers of seized U.N. trucks, he added. All aid agency staff in the area -- West Darfur state on the Chad border -- have also pulled back to El-Geneina, which is the state capital, he said. In total, 44 staff were relocated. The Khartoum government has admitted arming some militia to quell a rebellion launched in early 2003 but denies all links to the Janjaweed, calling them outlaws. [more]
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