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UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the Sudanese government and all rebel groups on Wednesday to agree to a cease-fire in Darfur, saying deteriorating security is undermining efforts to help thousands of civilians caught in an upsurge in fighting.
In his monthly report to the Security Council, Ban singled out attacks in West Darfur, which borders Chad. He also noted heightened tensions in camps for the displaced across Darfur, and continued banditry and vehicle hijackings — including 23 fully loaded U.N. World Food Program trucks between Jan. 1 and Jan. 24.
The secretary-general painted a grim picture of a worsening conflict seven weeks after a joint African Union-United Nations force took over peacekeeping duties in Darfur from a beleaguered 7,000-strong AU force, and a year after the U.N. and AU launched a new effort to get a political settlement.
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