USA: Parties in Sudan Conflict Will Face Economic Sanctions if Peace is Not Achieved

The United States has warned that there is a possibility of imposing economic sanctions on the parties involved in the Sudan conflict, namely the Muslim government in Khartoum and the southern rebels, if they fail to reach a peace agreement. On Monday, Richard Boucher, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, stated that the U.S. has made it clear that the conflicting parties must expedite the peace process and successfully conclude it. Peace talks between the Muslim government of Khartoum and the Christian rebels in the south, aimed at ending 23 years of civil war, are currently taking place in Kenya. A key recent issue is whether the city of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, will continue to be governed under Islamic law after the signing of a peace agreement. Meanwhile, the United Nations has increased its request for humanitarian aid for Sudan, where over 800,000 citizens have fled their homes. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs stated on Monday that it needs $115 million in cash assistance, which is five times the previous request. Stephanie Bunker, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian office, told a Voice of America reporter that her visit to the Darfur region of Sudan, which was previously inaccessible, provided a much worse picture than anticipated. Ms. Bunker added that so far, governments have only allocated $30 million for aid to Sudan. As a result of the war that began last year in Darfur, more than 700,000 people have been displaced within the country, and another 100,000 have fled to neighboring Chad.