AU monitors confirm abuse by Sudanese military

A UN spokesman said today that "African Union monitors have confirmed that the Sudanese military last week harassed and brutally treated the internally displaced persons living at the Kalma camp in the strife-torn Darfur region, and then looted the camp." Not the Janjaweed, but the Sudanese military.

The Sudanese government signed an agreement today promising not to force refugees to return to their homes against their will. Some refugees had been forced out of camps and back to their homes (thus creating the illusion of action in the direction of reducing the number of refugees) only to find burned out villages, no access to food or water, and Janjaweed waiting for them. If the government of Sudan actually honors this promise, then this is a positive step.

The BBC has this update on UN airlift operations delivering aid to parts of Darfur that the rainy season -- now at its peak -- has rendered impassable by land.