11/18/2004

IRIN

Nairobi -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday called for a quick signing of a comprehensive peace agreement between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), saying such a deal would catalyse efforts to resolve the conflict in the western region of Darfur.

"The effects of the delay [in signing a peace pact between Khartoum and the SPLM/A] are felt not only in the south, but elsewhere too, as conflict spreads to more parts of the country," Annan told members of the UN Security Council at a meeting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. "The devastating conflict in Darfur is glaring evidence of this."

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NGOs urge Council to act firmly

International non-governmental and human rights organisations had urged the Council to use the meeting to ensure lasting peace in Sudan.

"The primary objective of the Council at its Nairobi meeting should be to ensure that the government of Sudan and SPLM/A do not return to war," Refugees International (RI) said in a statement. "To that end, the successful conclusion of a peace agreement should be encouraged with all the vigor the Council can muster. Don’t let peace slip away in southern Sudan.

"The Council meeting in Nairobi may be the last chance to rescue a peace process that has begun to bog down," RI official, Larry Thompson, said. "It would be a human tragedy of major proportions if the ploughshares of peace were turned back into the weapons of war in southern Sudan. Peace in the largest country in Africa is worthy of the Council’s highest priority."

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