JURIST - Paper Chase: Annan accuses Sudanese rebels of increased lawlessness

[JURIST] UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan [official website], in a report to the UN Security Council, has accused Sudanese rebels of taking part in kidnappings, extortions and thefts, causing the already unstable Darfur [JURIST news archive] region to become even more lawless. Annan said that currently more than 3 million people were in need of humanitarian aid and another 2 million were living in make-shift camps so overcrowded that they were "vulnerable to psychological as well as physical insecurities." He went on to say that two goals must be met to begin correcting the situation: rebel and government leaders must control their military commanders to curb criminal behavior and the government and rebels must work to reach an agreement on the contentious issues of power and wealth distribution at the upcoming peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria later this month. Annan's report is not currently publicly available. AP has more.

10:29 PM ET - The UN Mission in the Sudan has now made available the full text of Annan's report [PDF]

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