U.S. says Darfur is getting worse

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States, which is trying to get Khartoum to accept a U.N. force in Darfur, said on Friday Sudan was preparing a new offensive in its devastated western province and that rebels there were rearming.

Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer, who spoke before leaving for a visit to Sudan, said the situation was getting much worse in Darfur and a U.N. force was needed urgently to stop what Washington has called genocide.

Frazer said she would deliver a firm message from President George W. Bush, telling Sudan's government to drop its objections to the United Nations taking over from about 7,000 African Union troops struggling to keep the peace in Darfur.

"We believe that the time to act is now and that there can't be further delay," Frazer told reporters. "The security environment is deteriorating and deteriorating very quickly." Read more >>>