Even easily placated U.N. envoy laments lack of progress in Darfur

As the U.N. deadline approaches, it looks increasingly like armed force will be necessary to halt the genocide in Darfur. Britain's Telegraph newspaper reports that :

"The prospect of international sanctions being imposed on Sudan drew closer yesterday when the United Nations envoy in Khartoum said no progress had been made on disarming the Janjaweed militia in Darfur."

"Hundreds more refugees arrived in neighbouring Chad saying that government forces, in league with the Janjaweed, had launched more attacks on their villages with helicopter gunships."

The Sudanese government has promised to create 11 safe zones that will be free of Janjaweed and government forces. They claim that plan will go into effect today. U.N. Special Envoy Jan Pronk has been somewhat easy for the Khartoum government to placate thus far, so if even he is now lamenting the lack of progress, Sudan will have to make great strides in the next 12 days.

A.P. reports that, "Sudanese authorities have restored aid deliveries to a camp for 90,000 displaced people in Darfur, United Nations officials said, three days after soldiers reportedly closed the camp following a mob killing of an alleged pro-government militiaman."