Camps of tens of thousands of frustrated refugees in Sudan's Darfur region have become militarised and present a danger that cannot be ignored, a senior UN official has warned.
The UN's emergency relief coordinator, John Holmes, said the presence of weapons in the camps and the proximity of the Sudanese military outside refugee centres made for a potentially explosive situation.
UN emergency relief coordinator for Darfur John Holmes
"If you have large numbers of people in camps, you have the government of Sudan's military presence in the area, there are bound to be clashes from time to time," Mr Holmes was quoted as saying. "The politicisation and militarisation on the ground in the camps is a fact of life you can't ignore."
Last week, the Sudanese military attacked Kalma Camp, in South Darfur, where it said rebels behind deadly attacks on police were hiding.
Mr Holmes denied the camps had become rebel bases, but he said young men in the centres had grown frustrated and politicised.
Some 2.5 million people have fled their homes since rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum in early 2003, charging the government with neglecting its vast western region.
A struggling African Union peacekeeping force has been unable to stem the violence but the United Nations has approved a 26,000-strong AU-UN force for Darfur, which officials hope to begin deploying in the coming months.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is due to arrive in Khartoum next week to discuss the force with the Sudanese government and the possibility of talks to end the conflict.
Mr Moon is considering transferring his envoy in Iraq to Sudan, diplomats said yesterday.
The top post in Sudan has been empty since Dutchman Jan Pronk was told nearly a year ago to leave the country because of his outspoken criticism of Khartoum.