GENEVA, Aug 24 (AFP) - The Sudanese government has changed its attitude towards the western region of Darfur for the better but it faces a key test in stopping attacks by allied militia there, a senior international official said Tuesday.
Brunson McKinley, the director of the International Organisation for Migration, said an agreement the IOM signed with Khartoum on Sunday to ensure the safe return of displaced people in Darfur marked a turning point.
"I think it does mark an important change in attitude on the part of the Sudanese government," he told journalists, although he was guarded about the agreement`s implementation.
McKinley told journalists he was in little doubt that until earlier this year the Sudanese government wanted to crush the 15-month long rebellion in Darfur while the world was not looking, "but they now see that`s not going to happen".
"The Sudanese government has concluded that if it doesn`t solve Darfur it risks a downward spiral that endangers the whole north-south peace process," he said, referring to the country`s long-running conflict in the south.
"They see the prospect of peace and development close at hand and in danger of slipping away," he added.
The memorandum of understanding between the IOM, Sudanese authorities and the United Nations is meant to ensure joint planning of the voluntary return of about 1.2 million people who fled their homes in Darfur.
McKinley said most of the displaced would go home under their own steam when they felt it was safe to go back.
"This will be one of the big tests: will the government succeed in turning off the Janjaweed (militia)?"
The agreement sets no timeframe for returns, and the IOM director warned that a full solution for the plight of the displaced would take years.
"This is a big job, a long term job, some of the internally displaced will never go home. People are talking about five to ten years to get people settled," he said.
The UN refugee agency on Tuesday welcomed "concern" shown by the Sudanese government in dealing with a group of about 30,000 displaced people in Darfur who were ready to flee to neighbouring Chad because of attacks by armed militia.
Khartoum sent a high-level delegation to the village of Masteri on Sunday to meet the group and the local governor "promised immediate measures to beef up security", Ron Redmond, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.