Sudanese official urges international probe into violence against residents in Darfur

By SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — The governor of Darfur called for an international investigation into alleged atrocities against residents of the region that witnessed some of the worst battles in Sudan’s ongoing conflict. Mini Arko Minawi urged the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to allow the International Criminal Court to probe “crimes and assassinations” that took place in the western region over the past two months. He said the current violence “is no less than what happened in 2003″ in Darfur, referencing the genocidal war in the early 2000s. Sudan descended into chaos after fighting erupted in mid-April between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The fighting has centered in the capital, Khartoum, but spread elsewhere in the African country including Darfur.