by Herve Couturier
UNITED NATIONS, Sept 1 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Wednesday that Sudan's government has failed to keep commitments to end strife in the Darfur region and called for stronger international presence there.
Annan said in report to the UN Security Council that a plan has been presented to the African Union for an international operation to stem violence and to increase the protection of civilians.
The Security Council passed a resolution on July 30 giving Sudan 30 days to take action to halt marauding militias, such as the notorious Janjaweed, who have been blamed for tens of thousands of deaths in Darfur.
Annan said that "some progress" has been made but concluded: "After 18 months of conflict and 30 days after the adoption of resolution 1556, the government of Sudan has not been able to resolve the crisis in Darfur, and has not met some of the core commitments it has made."
The report said: "Attacks against civilians are continuing and the vast majority of armed militias has not been disarmed.
"Similarly, no concrete steps have been taken to bring to justice or even identify any of the militia leaders or the perpetrators of these attacks, allowing the violations of human rights and the basic laws of war to continue in a climate of impunity."
Annan said "I believe that a substantially increased international presence in Darfur is required as quickly as possible. The plan the United Nations has presented to the African Union provides a blueprint for such a presence, which could help improve the situation in critical aspects."
Sudanese government forces and their Janjaweed allies are accused of killing, raping and intimidating Darfur's black African minorities, which the government sees as sympathetic to two rebel groups in the area.
The rebels argue that Sudan's economic and political life has been dominated by a minority Arab elite since independence, and are demanding greater autonomy and a power-sharing political settlement.
Sudanese government and rebel leaders are holding talks in Nigeria on a proposed African Union agreement to protect the Darfur region's 1.2 million displaced people from hunger, rape and murder.
On Thursday the UN envoy to Sudan, Jan Pronk, will brief the Security Council on the Darfur crisis and is expected to reaffirm criticism of the Sudanese government's failure to protect civilians, many of whom have fled across the border to Chad.
Annan's report said there had to be a recognition that not all commitments made by the Sudanese government could be achieved in 30 days.
However, the UN chief highlighted several "urgent" areas where promised progress has not been achieved.
"The most critical commitment that has yet to be implemented relates to the armed militias, which continue to pose a serious threat to the civilian population," said the report.
"The United Nations continues to receive reports of militia activities in all three states of Darfur."
It highlighted several militia attacks on villages in the Yassin area, northeast of Nyala, in late August, in which more than 50 people were reported killed.
"Some villages in this area were attacked as many as three or four times over the course of several days and have been completely looted and destroyed."
The report said the militias were under government influence and the attacks constituted "a serious breach of the government's commitments."
The Janjaweed were also reported to be active in West Darfur in mid-August.