UN CHIEF VISITS DARFUR !
More than two million people have been displaced by the fighting. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is visiting Sudan's western Darfur region, where a four-year conflict has claimed 200,000 lives and displaced millions.
Mr Ban, who will visit a refugee camp, has said the priority of his trip is to get a 26,000-strong UN and African Union peacekeeping force into position.
The new troops are not due to arrive until next year but violence continues.
Sudan's government and pro-government Arab militias are accused of war crimes against the black African population.
Correspondents say Mr Ban wants to see for himself the plight of the people of Darfur and understand the difficult conditions into which the world's biggest peacekeeping force will eventually be deployed.
The BBC's Laura Trevelyan, who is travelling with Mr Ban, says the visit is a delicate balancing act for Mr Ban, who has made Darfur his top priority.
He wants to encourage the Sudanese government, which has finally accepted peacekeepers, while condemning the killings and getting political talks going.
Blueprint for peace
Mr Ban visited the south Sudan capital, Juba, on Tuesday to show support for the 2005 peace agreement that ended a 21-year civil war between the north and south.
Mr Ban called for both sides to live up to their commitmentsHe met Salva Kiir - the former rebel now Sudan's first vice-president under the deal.
Mr Ban said afterwards the peace agreement in southern Sudan was a blueprint for long-term peace in the country - including Darfur - but must be fully implemented.
Under the deal, the largely Christian and animist south is meant to be self-governing for six years, then it is to hold a referendum to decide whether or not to secede from Sudan.
Our correspondent says preparations for the referendum are behind schedule and the border between north and south has not been drawn up, meaning the crucial agreement on how to divide Sudan's oil wealth evenly cannot be made either.
Mr Ban called for both sides to live up to their commitments.
Currently there are 10,000 UN peacekeepers in southern Sudan.
BBC NEWS REPORT.
Mr Ban, who will visit a refugee camp, has said the priority of his trip is to get a 26,000-strong UN and African Union peacekeeping force into position.
The new troops are not due to arrive until next year but violence continues.
Sudan's government and pro-government Arab militias are accused of war crimes against the black African population.
Correspondents say Mr Ban wants to see for himself the plight of the people of Darfur and understand the difficult conditions into which the world's biggest peacekeeping force will eventually be deployed.
The BBC's Laura Trevelyan, who is travelling with Mr Ban, says the visit is a delicate balancing act for Mr Ban, who has made Darfur his top priority.
He wants to encourage the Sudanese government, which has finally accepted peacekeepers, while condemning the killings and getting political talks going.
Blueprint for peace
Mr Ban visited the south Sudan capital, Juba, on Tuesday to show support for the 2005 peace agreement that ended a 21-year civil war between the north and south.
Mr Ban called for both sides to live up to their commitmentsHe met Salva Kiir - the former rebel now Sudan's first vice-president under the deal.
Mr Ban said afterwards the peace agreement in southern Sudan was a blueprint for long-term peace in the country - including Darfur - but must be fully implemented.
Under the deal, the largely Christian and animist south is meant to be self-governing for six years, then it is to hold a referendum to decide whether or not to secede from Sudan.
Our correspondent says preparations for the referendum are behind schedule and the border between north and south has not been drawn up, meaning the crucial agreement on how to divide Sudan's oil wealth evenly cannot be made either.
Mr Ban called for both sides to live up to their commitments.
Currently there are 10,000 UN peacekeepers in southern Sudan.
posted by jackaranda at 10:47 am
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