إلي البشير و أدعياء الوطنية بالمنبر: هذا هو صوت نازحي دارفور بالمعسكرات: نريد القوات الأممية

Quote: Sudanese refugees tell U.S. Senator Darfur needs U.N. force The Associated Press Published: September 2, 2006 MILE REFUGEE CAMP, Chad Thousands of refugees, forced out of their homes in Sudan by violence, crowded U.S. Senator Barack Obama Saturday when he visited their camp in eastern Chad to deliver a single message: Bring in the United Nations. An international peacekeeping force is the only hope they have of returning to their normal lives in Sudan's western region of Darfur, the refugees told Obama. Some carried banners held up on sticks demanding U.N. action. "We want the U.N. force," said a man who only identified himself as Musadigo. "We won't be able to go home without the U.N." Musadigo, 32, said he had been living in the refugee camp, which is home to 15,000 others, since fleeing his home three years ago. Chad is now host to more than 200,000 refugees from Darfur. The conflict in Darfur began in 2003 when ethnic African tribes revolted against the Arab-led Khartoum government. The government is accused of unleashing Arab militiamen known as janjaweed who have been blamed for widespread atrocities. Inside Darfur there are about 2 million people who have been displaced by the conflict. A May peace deal signed by the government and one of the ethnic African rebel groups operating in the region has had little effect. After his 90-minute visit to the camp, about 750 kilometers (466 miles) east of the Chadian capital, N'djamena, Obama said the United States should take a more active role in pushing Sudan to accept a U.N. peacekeeping force. "My overarching sense is ... the need to get a U.N. protective force on the ground," he said. Obama suggested the U.S. needs a special envoy to focus on the issue and the United Nations might possibly have to move in without Sudan's permission. The African Union has called for the U.N. to take control of the African Union peacekeeping force, whose formal mandate expires on Sept. 30. But Sudan's President Omar el-Bashir has maintained steadfast hostility to the presence of a U.N. force, instead offering to send 10,000 government troops to Darfur. Obama met with a group of women at the camp to talk about their experiences. He also met with camp leaders who stressed to him that they ultimately want compensation for the losses they have suffered and they want to see the janjaweed brought to justice.