By Abid Aslam
01/24/2006

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Below is an excerpt of an article from One World:

New fighting has broken out in Sudan's Darfur region in apparent protest against the Khartoum regime's candidacy to head the African Union (AU).

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Darfur's main rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), attacked the town of Golo and prompted a counteroffensive by government soldiers.

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The fighting followed an announcement late Monday by the SLA and another Darfur rebel group, that they were suspending peace talks to protest against Sudan's candidacy to head the AU.

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In Washington, pressure groups are urging President George W. Bush and his ambassador at the U.N., John Bolton, to take decisive action to stem the violence in Darfur when the United States takes over the rotating presidency of the apex Security Council next month.

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Such protection must include measures to shield women from rape and provide life-saving treatment to victims of sexual assault, which is commonplace in Darfur, according to watchdog group Refugees International.

Women as well as Sudanese and AU police appear unaware that local laws restricting rape survivors' access to life-saving medical treatment have been amended to make it easier for women to seek medical help, Refugees International said in a recent assessment.

''In effect, nothing has changed for survivors of rape in Darfur,'' the organization said in a policy recommendation earlier this month. ''International organizations must take the immediate initiative to inform the women of Darfur of their rights rather than waiting for the government of Sudan to do so.''

In particular, Refugees International said it wants the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) to push the issue as the lead agency on violence against women in Darfur.