By Opheera McDoom
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - China, under international pressure tohelp end conflict in Darfur, made a rare call on its Sudaneseally on Sunday to do more to allow foreign peacekeepers todeploy to the region.
But there was no respite in the fighting and the UnitedNations said it feared for thousands of civilians after reportsthat Sudan's forces bombed a rebel-held area in western Darfur.
China's envoy to Darfur, in a departure from Beijing'susual public diplomatic vagueness, made an unusual rebuke toKhartoum during a visit there and urged Sudan to removeobstacles to full deployment of a joint U.N.-African Unionpeacekeeping force.
"Rolling out the hybrid peacekeeping operation andresolving the Darfur issue require the joint efforts of allsides," Liu Guijin told China's official Xinhua news agency.
"First, the Sudan government should cooperate better withthe international community and demonstrate greater flexibilityon some technical issues. Next, anti-government organisationsin the Darfur region should return to the negotiating table."
China's role in Sudan has come under renewed attentionsince film director Steven Spielberg quit as an artisticdirector to the 2008 Beijing Olympic games, saying China hadfailed to use its sway in Khartoum to seek peace in Darfur.
China is a big investor in Sudan's oil industry and is itslargest weapons supplier.
International experts estimate that 200,000 people havedied and 2.5 million driven been from their homes since mostlynon-Arab Darfur rebels took up arms five years ago.
Even as the Chinese envoy spoke, powerful Sudanesepresidential assistant Nafie Ali Nafie rejected any notion ofaccepting non-African troops in the UNAMID peacekeeping forceuntil all African soldiers have deployed to Darfur.
Western countries accuse Sudan of using conditions such asthe composition of the force as delaying tactics. So far, just9,000 of an eventual 26,000 peacekeepers are on the ground.
BOMBING REPORTS
The United Nations said on Sunday it had received reportsof aerial bombing in the Jabel Moun area in western Darfur, aregion where Sudan launched an offensive on February 8 toretake rebel-held areas.
"We are gravely concerned for the safety of thousands ofcivilians in this area," the U.N. statement said.
Residents say at least 114 people have been killed in theoffensive, but the army says many of those were rebels incivilian clothing. Thousands of people have fled the fighting,some into neighbouring Chad.
U.N. officials estimated some 20,000 people were in JabelMoun. They said the bombing was in spite of assurances fromKhartoum on Sunday that civilians would be allowed to leave thearea. UNAMID was seeking similar assurances from the rebels.
"The risks at this stage to civilians are unacceptablyhigh. The solution for Darfur's problems can never be amilitary one," the statement said. "The eyes of the world arenow on Darfur, and the concerns of all of us will be theinnocent children, women and men who are caught up in thisfighting."
The delays to deploying the force mean it is struggling tolive up to the high expectations of Darfuris that it will be dobetter than the previous force, from only the African Union.
Scandinavian units were refused entry by Khartoum and aThai battalion is ready but still waiting for permission todeploy.
"What we ask now is that any talk of non-African troopsstops until after the African troops have all been deployed,"presidential assistant Nafie told reporters in Khartoum.
"Any attempt to talk about Khartoum's obstruction to thehybrid force or any talk about a lack of ability of Africantroops to accomplish the task of UNAMID is an attempt to createanother crisis between Sudan and the international community."
He declined to say why Khartoum did not want non-Africantroops, but Sudanese officials have said Africa should be ableto resolve its own problems and expressed suspicions about theintentions of former African colonialists.
Darfur rebels, who say they began their fight because ofneglect by Khartoum, have requested European and U.S. troops inDarfur. Sudan says the Western media has exaggerated theconflict and puts the death toll at 9,000.
(Additional reporting by Chris Buckley in Beijing, Editingby Matthew Tostevin)
