All sides in the troubled Darfur region of Sudan should mark the Muslim month of Ramadan by resuming peace talks and refraining from the violence that has already claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and driven around 2 million from their homes over the past three years, the United Nations envoy to the country said today, according to UN News Centre.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Sudan, Jan Pronk, has sent a letter to the leaders of the Government of Sudan and all movements involved in military action in Sudan’s western region of Darfur urging them to refrain from hostilities and resume dialogue during the month of Ramadan.
Last Friday the Security Council, expressing “grave concern” over the worsening humanitarian situation in Darfur, extended the mandate of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) until 8 October, while also making known its intention to renew it further, a move that came just days after the African Union (AU) extended its own mission in the strife-torn region until the end of the year.
However, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir last Tuesday again rejected a proposed UN force for Darfur as an attempt to re-colonize his country.
Kilde: www.un.org
