Sudan has ignored U.S. appeals to stop the Janjaweed militia from attacking black civilians
in Darfour. The administration has determined that Khartoum has used
Janjaweed to carry out ethnic cleansing against a primarily Christian population in the border province.
The Bush administration has been examining the prospect
of imposing additional U.S. sanctions on Sudan or its leadership. On June 29, Secretary of State Colin Powell plans to fly to Sudan to
discuss humanitarian conditions in Darfour.
Janjaweed has been described as an Arab Islamic group that has targeted
mostly black Christians. Officials said
Sudanese President Omar Bashir has not implemented his pledge to disarm
Janjaweed and other militias, Middle East Newsline reported.
The State Dept. has been reviewing the violence in Darfur to determine whether it is genocide, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
The UN recently reported the number of people in acute need of food and medical help has increased from 1.2 million to two million.
At least 10,000 people were killed since black Sudanese revolted in
Darfour in February 2003, officials said. In addition, about 1 million
Darfour residents either fled or were expelled from their homes by
Janjaweed.
Administration officials said the sanctions were being considered amid a
determination by the United States that the Khartoum regime had failed to
restrain a government-supported militia from committing atrocities in the
western province of Darfour. They said the new sanctions could reverse
Washington's effort to improve relations with Khartoum.
Last week, the State Department identified seven Sudanese officials
associated with Janjaweed. Officials said the administration was considering
imposing sanctions on these individuals while examining penalties against
the Khartoum regime.
"As you know, we already have significant sanctions on Sudan," a State
Department official said. "In addition, we are considering targeted
sanctions, such as visa restrictions and financial sanctions against
individuals."
Sudan has been on the State Department list of terrorist sponsors for
more than a decade. Sanctions that stem from such a designation include a
ban on weapons sales and certain dual-use technologies.
In May, the United States was said to have been working to remove
Khartoum from the State Department's terrorist list, officials said. At the
time, the department cited Sudan's
cooperation with Washington in its war against Al Qaida.
A White House official said the
administration was also discussing with Libya the opening of an extra route
to facilitate the entry of United Nations relief workers and supplies to
Darfour.
