By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer
Wed Sep 5, 9:25 PM ET
EL FASHER, Sudan - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was "shocked and humbled" by a visit to a Darfur refugee camp, where thousands cheered him as he pledged to step up efforts to bring peace to the war-torn region.
But the enthusiastic welcome from refugees at the Al Salaam camp on Wednesday was tempered by the earlier disruption of a meeting at a U.N. compound with camp representatives, and by a small protest against the upcoming deployment of U.N. troops in a new 26,000-strong peacekeeping force in Darfur.
The secretary-general brushed aside the protests, saying he understands the frustrations of the millions uprooted from their homes, and he pointed to the huge crowds that had come to see him in Darfur and in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, on his first trip to the country since taking the reins of the United Nations on Jan. 1.
"They really wanted to see some hope from me, from the United Nations, from the international community," he said.
But Wednesday's incidents had an impact. Ban met with only three of the 30 camp representatives, his scheduled one-hour visit to Al Salaam was cut to 20 minutes, and the media pool accompanying him was cut from 37 to 5 because of security concerns.
As Ban's convoy rolled into the camp, home to 46,000 Darfur refugees, thousands chanted "Welcome! Welcome Ban Ki-moon!"
"We must bring peace and development. We must protect human rights. We must help all of you return to your homes and lands," Ban told the crowd.
Later, he told reporters: "I was so shocked and humbled. ... I was shocked at the poverty and hardship all these tens of thousands of people were undergoing."
Ban promised to step up efforts to end the protracted conflict that has killed more than 200,000 people and left more than 2.5 million displaced, and he urged the world to be more sympathetic to the millions whose lives have been uprooted.
"I really urge the international community to help them return to their homes and land, give them a sense of security and bring peace as soon as possible. We must bring enduring peace, durable peace and security here," he said.
Ban said he would raise these issues, and the protest, during a second round of talks Thursday with Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir.
The scene at the camp contrasted with Ban's visit earlier Wednesday to the U.N. compound in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
Ban told reporters there was "some serious concern" when an univited group of men and women tried to push through the door to participate in the meeting with representatives of three camps for people uprooted from their homes. Security is exceedingly tight in Sudan, and it is unclear how they got so close to the secretary-general.
"We don't care for UN! This is our country!" a group of bejeweled women in high heels shouted in Arabic at the gates of the U.N. compound, in what appeared to be an orchestrated event. "You want to destroy us! We will not allow you here in Darfur!"
In recent weeks, the Sudanese government has stepped up a campaign to have Darfurians in the camps voluntarily return home. But a key concern keeping the millions of refugees from leaving the camps is lack of security — a main reason for the deployment of the U.N.-African Union force.
During Ban's stop at the compound of the North Darfur governor, a man who identified himself to the Sudanese media as Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed gave Ban a letter urging the United Nations to help returning Darfur refugees resettle in their original villages.
North Darfur Governor Mohamed Kebir told reporters "many conditions are now ripe" for the voluntary return of people to their villages.
Ban said security was improving — but he told reporters there still is not full security and peace in Darfur so "we must continue to protect (the displaced) and provide the security," especially in the camps.
Despite speculation it would be called off, the secretary-general's brief visit to the Al Salaam camp went under tight security, but U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said there were reports of some violent clashes afterward, though she had no details.
At every opportunity, the secretary-general stressed the importance of reaching a political settlement and deploying the AU-U.N. hybrid force quickly.
He said the planned deployment of the hybrid force was now on a "good track" and "it is crucially important that a political negotiation process start now."
Ban said he will shortly announce the venue and date for new negotiations, likely in October.
AU officials who briefed Ban on Wednesday said they told him the beleaguered AU force now in Darfur has less then 6,000 peacekeepers deployed in a region nearly the size of France — down from its authorized strength of 7,000. AU officials said the groundwork for deploying the hybrid force is on schedule, but it is not expected to start arriving in Darfur until early next year.
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