OneWorld.net (U.S.)

UNITED NATIONS, May 3 (OneWorld) - As the United States takes charge of the UN Security Council this month, calls for Washington to lead global efforts to secure peace in the Sudanese region of Darfur are on the rise.

"The U.S. has repeatedly stated its intent to act in Darfur. The time has now come to put those words into action," said Nii Akuetteh, executive director of Africa Action, an independent group based in Washington, DC.

Africa Action and other organizations campaigning against continued attacks on indigenous communities in Darfur say the new U.S. role in the world body could ensure speedy deployment of UN peacekeepers in the war-torn region.

The United States, which became president of the 15-member Council on Tuesday, has sponsored a draft resolution seeking deployment of a large UN force in Darfur and sanctions against Sudan.

Last month, Sudan, for the first time, agreed to allow a small UN force into Darfur, but failed to convince the United States and other Western powers that it was serious about its intentions on peace deals.

The Sudanese response in April allows the UN to deploy about 3,000 policemen in Darfur and some helicopters to assist a beleaguered African Union (AU) force that has been largely unable to quell the violence.

Though pleased with the Sudanese move, both the UN chief Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council have emphasized that Khartoum must prepare itself for the immediate deployment of UN forces.

The UN has also made it clear that it intends to move faster on a "heavy support package," which envisages the deployment of a hybrid UN-AU force and heavy military equipment.

Last September, the Security Council wanted to send some 20,000 UN peacekeepers to the region, but failed to implement its resolution due to fierce opposition from Sudan.

In Darfur, more than 200,000 people -- and by some estimates over 400,000 -- have been killed and at least 2 million others forced from their homes since 2003 when the armed conflict broke out between rebel groups representing the interests of ethnic tribes and the Khartoum-backed Janjaweed militias.

Those monitoring the refugee crisis in the region say the conflict is now starting to spill over into neighboring Chad and the Central African Republic.

Mindful that despite international efforts for intervention, people in Darfur are continuing to be killed and displaced, advocacy groups say the situation demands immediate and urgent action by the Security Council.

"Across the U.S., advocacy efforts have continued to build in recent weeks," noted Marie Clark Brill, Africa Action's director for public mobilization, in a statement calling for the U.S. government to "recognize this pressure and put Darfur on top of the Security Council agenda."

Meanwhile, in a separate development on Sudan, the London-based group Amnesty International welcomed Wednesday's decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue arrest warrants for two Sudanese suspected of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

The respected human rights group urged the Sudanese government to immediately arrest the two men and hand them over to the Court in The Hague.

The men, the current State Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Ahmad Harun and renowned Janjaweed leader Ali Muhammad Ali Abdelrahman (also known as Ali Kushayb), face 51 counts of alleged crimes, including murder, persecution, the destruction of property, pillaging, rape, torture, outrages upon personal dignity, and other inhumane acts.

"The UN Security Council must now demand that Sudan -- or any other state in whose territory the two suspects are found -- arrest and surrender them immediately," said Erwin van der Borght, Amnesty's director for Africa.

Amnesty also urged the African Union to press the Sudanese government to arrest the two men and to direct their forces currently in Darfur to do the same if the suspects are found within their sphere of operations.

In addition, the group demanded the Sudanese government and other countries investigate other war crimes, which have not been called into question by the ICC prosecutor.

According to Amnesty, Ali Kushayb is thought to be currently in detention in Darfur, awaiting trial. The group says it has no confidence that the Sudanese government is able or willing to prosecute him effectively.

"Today's decision by the ICC indicates an important step forward in how the international community will deal with Sudan over the gross human rights violations taking place in Darfur," said van der Borght.

"It is no longer seen to be enough to just conduct political negotiations over strengthening the current peacekeeping force in Darfur," he added. "Concrete steps must also be taken."

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