Bush orders Darfur suspects punished

Friday, April 28th, 2006

George Bush has ordered sanctions against four men linked to the troubles in the region of Darfur that the US has labelled as genocide.

The US president followed the example of the UN Security Council on Tuesday and imposed sanctions on four Sudanese accused of abuses in the conflict.

Bush also issued an executive order freezing the assets of anyone deemed to have posed a threat to the peace process or stability in Darfur. The order also prohibited US companies or individuals from dealing with those implicated.

For the past three years militia, backed by the Sudanese government, are alleged to have murdered thousands people from tribes in the region, burning villages and forcing more than two million people into refugee camps in Darfur and neighbouring Chad.

The four men subject to sanctions include a leader of the Khartoum-backed Janjawid militia and a commander of the rebel Sudanese Liberation Army.

Bush said he was taking the action because the violence in Darfur threatened the national security and foreign policy of the US.

The move comes as peace talks in Abuja, Nigeria, mediated by the African Union have until Sunday to reach a deal.
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