US Secretary of State Colin Powell called yesterday for sustained international pressure on Sudan to resolve the humanitarian crisis in its war-torn Darfur region or face UN sanctions.

"Pressure must be kept on the Sudanese government to make sure that access is allowed and that security is improved," Powell told a press conference in Cairo after talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.

"The situation in Darfur is a really tragic one.

"These people are in desperate need, we should give the Sudanese government time to respond, but these people don't have that much time before disease, famine take tens of thousands of lives," Powell stressed.

"US policy in the Sudan in the last several years, since the beginning of this administration, has been to take off the sanctions, not to put on sanctions, and has worked very hard to achieve a reconciliation and an agreement between south and north," Powell argued.

But "additional action may be required on the part of the international community and that's why we have put forward a resolution before the Security Council," he said.

The United Nations estimates 50 000 people have died in the Darfur conflict that erupted early last year pitting government forces and their Arab militia allies against rebels of the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement.

More than one-million people have also been displaced from their homes as a result of the conflict, with hundreds of thousands of others on the verge of starvation, according to aid agencies.

"So the international community has come together to put pressure on the Sudanese government to allow full access to the area for humanitarian workers, and also for the Sudanese government to do everything in its power to stop the Janjaweed militia," Powell added.

The Janjaweed, the main Arab militia group allied with the government, has been blamed for much of the atrocities against civilians in Darfur, and the international community has repeatedly called on the Sudanese government to disarm and disband them.

Khartoum should also do everything in its capacity to "bring security and stability to the region so that people can return to their homes," Powell urged.

Washington on Tuesday tabled a new version of a draft resolution on Darfur to the UN Security Council that calls for an embargo on arms for insurgents and militias, and demands that the Sudanese government disarm the militias.

It threatens sanctions against Khartoum if no progress is made. – Sapa-AFP.