Agence France-Presse,
KHARTOUM: UN officials said that new bombings were endangering thousands of civilians in Darfur on Sunday as US and Chinese envoys sought to bolster peace efforts ahead of the conflict's five-year anniversary.
Head of the African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission Rodolphe Adada and Ameerah Haq, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, issued a statement voicing grave concern and calling for access to civilians at risk.
“UNAMID (the peacekeeping force) has received reports this morning of aerial bombings in the Jebel Moon area of western Darfur. We're gravely concerned for the safety of thousands of civilians who are in this area,” they said.
“As of this morning we received an assurance from the government that civilians would be allowed out of the area and to safety. We're seeking the same assurances from the rebel groups in the area.
“Any firing must stop immediately. The risks at this stage to civilians are unacceptably high… We're seeking humanitarian access,” the statement said.
The UN refugee agency has said that two days of heavy bombardments and attacks by the Sudanese army and Janjaweed militia earlier this month in western Darfur prompted about 12,000 more refugees to flee into eastern Chad.
The Darfur conflict marks a grim five-year anniversary on Tuesday with peace talks in tatters, the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission running drastically below capacity and 4.2 million people living on aid handouts.
Ravaging one of the most remote and deprived places on earth, the conflict — called the first genocide of the 21st century by the United States — pits ethnic minorities fighting for resources and power against state-backed Arab militias.
International organisations estimate that 200,000 people have died since 2003 with 2.2 million, more than a third of the six-million Darfuri population, displaced, although the Khartoum government puts the death toll at 9,000.
Most experts say the war started on February 26, 2003 when rebels attacked a garrison in North Darfur state, complaining of economic and political marginalisation, although simmering ethnic violence had occurred earlier.
The Sudanese government recruited and armed militia called Janjaweed, which in Arabic literally means “devils on horseback,” to back the fierce scorched-earth campaign meted out by its own armed forces.
China's special envoy to Darfur, Liu Giujin, and the new US special representative for Sudan, Richard Williamson, arrived separately in Khartoum on Sunday for top-level talks to press for peace ahead of Tuesday's anniversary.
“For the Chinese government side, we're ready to extend our helping hand,” Liu told a news conference with Sudanese Foreign Minister Deng Alor following growing criticism over Beijing's role as Khartoum's main arms supplier.
The United Nations and other aid agencies are running the world's largest relief operation in Darfur with a humanitarian budget of 849 million dollars for 2008 and 1.2 billion dollars earmarked for peacekeeping.
Human rights and aid workers have detailed persistent forcible displacement of civilians, abuse, rapes, sexual violence, illegal detentions, unlawful killings and attacks against those venturing out of the camps.
Glamorised by Hollywood stars such as George Clooney, Western pressure on Sudan to end the conflict has been fierce but has achieved little of substance with Khartoum paying little heed and passing the buck.
Blocking tactics from Sudan and delays in pledges from contributing nations mean that only 9,200 personnel, 35 percent of the envisaged 26,600-strong UN-AU force, are on the ground alongside just 25 percent of the civilian staff.
Furthermore recent conflict in Chad, which accused Sudan of arming rebels who this month failed to overthrow the government in N'djamena, has seen the United Nations warn such violence could pull the region into a wider conflict.
Calling the war a “human tragedy” Alor said on Sunday that peace could only come when the multiple rebel factions unite into one negotiating team, Sudan improves relations with Chad and the hybrid force deploys on the ground.
The UN-brokered peace process stalled after opening in Libya last October — boycotted by key rebel factions — when host Moamer Kadhafi predicted failure and warned that foreign intervention only made things worse.
The initial two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, have splintered into dozens of warring gangs, compounding the violence and insecurity for civilians, peacekeepers and aid workers.
