EU denies mass annihilation, UN accuses Khartoum of bombarding Darfur
Sudan-European Union, Politics, 8/11/2004

The UN has accused the government of Khartoum of launching attacks by using military helicopters on people in Darfur to the west if Sudan. In a statement issued in Geneva, the organization said that the government obstruct the access of relief aid to the people of the area though obstructing the deployment of relief employees.

The UN also accused Jangaweid militias of launching attacks in the south of Darfur and this resulted in the displacement of more citizens.

This accusation coincided with a statement by the Human Rights Watch that doubted the credibility of the Sudanese government in halting the violations taking place in the area. The statement which falls in 31 pages deplored the violations made by Jangaweid militias.

Meantime, the leader of the Republican bloc -- which represents the majority in the US Senate -- Bill Frist on Tuesday issued a statement considering what is taking place in Darfur as a " mass killing." In a press conference in Nairobi, he said he has reached the conclusion from talks he made with " Sudanese refugees in the east of Chad " and official representatives " during his visit to refugees camps in Chad that what is taking place there is an extermination.

Contrary to the European Union and delegations of other sides that visited Sudan for five days last week, Frist did not enter the Sudanese territories and only met with several refugees in the camps built in Chad.

The statement of the US senator came commenting on a report issued on Sunday by experts from the European Union who visited Darfur. The report said that the violations taking place in the area do not reach the extent to describing it as annihilation despite the acts of killing taking place there.

The head of the European mission to Darfur, Peter Faith, said from Brussels that there are killing operations there taking place in secret and burning of villages: but we are not in a situation reaching mass extermination."

Previous Stories:
  European Union threatens sanctions on Sudan   (7/27/2004)
  European observers head for Darfour   (6/22/2004)
  Nivasha negotiations were resumed, Europe calls for relieving Darfour   (4/30/2004)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search