United Nations Secretary- General Kofi Annan on Tuesday urged concerned parties in Sudan to honor the ceasefire agreement and stressed the need for deploying a larger follow-on UN force in Darfur.

Speaking on a ministerial meeting on Darfur crisis convened by the UN Security Council, the UN chief noted that Darfur is still far from being at peace, and a vast amount has to be done and no time to lose.

He listed such tasks as convincing rebel leaders who have not signed the peace agreement, ensuring that the signatories of the agreement actually implement it, and ensuring that the people of Darfur can survive the next few months.

He said the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), currently the only force that provides protection to the people in Darfur, must be transformed into a larger and more mobile UN operation, better equipped and with a stronger mandate. "We are now mobilizing all our energies to make that happen," the UN chief said.

He stressed the need for speeding the transition to a UN operation in Darfur and the deployment of a follow-on UN force that are much larger than AMIS with major logistical support from members states.

Annan also singled out the urgent need of raising more money for emergency relief, noting that region is facing the world's worst humanitarian crisis. He warned that hundreds of thousands more people will die from hunger, malnutrition and disease if massive and immediate support is not provided.

He appealed to all the concerned parties, to the Sudanese government in particular, to show immediate respect for the ceasefire in Darfur and prove, by their actions, their determination to honor the peace agreement. He also urged all the UN member states to do everything possible to help the Sudanese people end the tragedy in Darfur.

The Sudanese government and the main faction of the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM), one of the two rebel groups in Darfur signed a peace agreement in Abuja last Friday. But another rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement, and a splinter faction of the SLM rejected the deal.

Source: Xinhua