ADC Welcomes Move to Disarm Militias, Protect Refugees in Sudan

July 4, Washington, DC — The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
(ADC) welcomed yesterday’s announcement by the Sudanese government and the United Nations that Sudan would disarm militias, protect refugees and facilitate humanitarian aid in the Darfur region of western Sudan. Sudan’s foreign minister, Mostafa Osman Ismail, said the government pledged to deploy 6,000 soldiers and police to “immediately start to disarm the Janjaweed [militia] and other armed outlaw groups” and also said it would deploy a “strong, credible” police force to protect camps of displaced persons and other areas susceptible to attacks.
ADC has viewed the humanitarian crisis in western Sudan with increasing concern in recent months, and urges the Sudanese government and the international community to take all necessary steps to ensure that the conflict there is ended and that refugees are protected and cared for.