Killing in Darfur has not stopped, says UN

LONDON: Killing is still going on in Darfur but Sudan’s government does not appear to be responsible and is making efforts to improve security, the United Nations envoy said on Monday. Jan Pronk told BBC radio that Khartoum had in the past been behind violence in Darfur, but things had now improved and there was no evidence of killing on a mass scale. But more needed to be done to protect people in danger, he said. “At the moment the government is really making an effort to stop everything,” Pronk said in an interview from Sudan. “There is no mass killing going on in this country. There is killing, but there is no reason to believe, that the government is behind those killings.” The government has until the end of August to prove to the UN Security Council it has made progress to protect more than a million people who have fled fighting in Darfur, which has killed up to 50,000. The envoy said more monitors were needed in addition to the 100 observers sent to Sudan by the African Union, and that they needed to take a more active role. “We do not have enough forces to protect the people. Within the camps, yes, they are reasonably safe. As soon as they leave the camps ... they are in danger.” “We need more than monitors who are just waiting until they are asked to monitor. Active monitoring, preventive monitoring and preventive protection is very necessary. We need more of these forces to come.” Pronk said there should be a “very serious discussion” between the United Nations and Khartoum at the end of August to consider whether international forces should be sent in. reuters

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