Some good news/bad news reports from Sudan and Uganda:
First the bad news -
From Darfur, Sudan is still hampering ongoing African Union peacekeeping efforts and the UN's desire to set up an international peacekeeping force. The UN is again warning that the situation in Darfur is headed toward "catastrophe." From the last article:
"Hundreds are still dying amid ongoing violence, and thousands are being forcibly displaced ... If things do not improve, we are heading for a major catastrophe," Guterres said in a statement.The Sudanese government rejects UN plans to deploy 20 000 troops and police to the Darfur region by year-end, likening it to a Western invasion that would attract jihadi militants and create an Iraq-like quagmire.
Khartoum has deployed thousands of troops to the region in recent months to confront rebels who refused to sign a peace accord, and the UNHCR said this had triggered fears of a major military offensive that could create yet more refugees.
"Urgent international action is needed to put pressure on the parties to the conflict and to convince everyone involved on the ground to let humanitarian agencies safely carry out their work ... Lives depend on it," Guterres said.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed and more than two million forced to find shelter in camps during three-and-a-half years of fighting. Mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms accusing the central government of marginalising the remote region that borders Chad.
Now the good news from Uganda -
The first LRA rebels have arrived at designated "safe zones" inside South Sudan, including second-in-command Vincent Otti. In a show of goodwill, the Ugandan government has dropped the September 12 deadline for the end of peace talks since the rebel terrorists are still making their way to the Sudanese camps.
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