ICC NOTE: It is known, as it mentions in this article that China supplies arms to Sudan . This is a concern, not only for Darfur, but the whole of Sudan , including the Christian South. During the Civil War Sudan was given a supply of military resources such as helicopters to bomb the South.
US asks China to exert pressure on Sudan
12 January 2007
( BEIJING ) A U.S. presidential envoy for Sudan said on Friday that he had asked China to exert its leverage on the African nation to ensure Khartoum abides by U.N. resolutions on the strife-torn Darfur region.
Andrew Natsios, wrapping up what he said was a “very successful” five-day trip to China, said he was still concerned Sudan was not doing enough to end the violence in Darfur, which Washington and Beijing were worried was spreading regionally.
China supplies arms to Sudan , and its oil companies also have large investments in the country. In November, Sudan was energy-hungry China s fourth-largest source of crude imports.
Natsios said he had made a “whole series of requests” to the Chinese asking them to help, though he would not give details.
When asked if he had requested the Chinese use their leverage over Sudan , he said:
“I did, yes. There is a concern in Beijing and in Washington that this war in Darfur is spreading now into Chad and the Central African Republic , so it is causing regional instability.”
The envoy said that he remained concerned about an upsurge in violence even with the signing of an African Union-mediated peace deal in May.
Fighting has escalated and aid agencies and experts say security in Darfur is rapidly deteriorating, putting many more civilians at risk and cutting off large parts of the region to relief workers.
“I dont have definitive evidence that this was all deliberate but the Sudanese government is not doing anything to reduce the chaos so that we can provide assistance to the 2.8 million people in the camps,” Natsios said.
“If we find that the Sudanese government is stonewalling … then we will go to a more coercive strategy.”
He declined to give details of what that “plan B” might be, though the United States and others are considering options ranging from travel bans on Sudanese officials and an assets freeze to imposing a no-fly zone in Darfur .
Fighting erupted in February 2003 when rebels took up arms against the government accusing Khartoum of marginalizing Darfur . The government responded by arming militias to counter the rebellion.
Since then 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million have been forced from their homes.
