The Sudanese government will force displaced people home

their will.

The government says it signed an agreement Saturday with the monitoring group, International Organization for Migration, to ensure internally displaced people only return home voluntarily, reports Voice of America.

According to Reuters, rebels and aid workers say the Sudanese authorities have sometimes tried to force displaced people home against their will. The Sudanese government denies the allegation.

"Of course this first of all will revoke any queries about whether the return of the IDPs is voluntary or involuntary. We have an international organisation who will supervise the return," Ismail told reporters.

He added the government had begun to form a native Darfuri administration to work in coordination with the local government until local elections are held.

He said a peace agreement to end a separate conflict in the south stated that there would be elections in all the states of Sudan to elect government officials.

The UN Security Council will consider how much progress Sudan has made in giving proper access to humanitarian groups, tackling human rights abuses, providing security to people in Darfur and negotiating with rebel groups.

Foreign Office officials said the Security Council was reluctant to impose "heavy-duty sanctions", such as an oil embargo or travel bans, on Sudanese ministers.

But a spokesman said member states would want to see "measurable, genuine compliance" by Khartoum.

The Sudanese conflict began in Darfur in early 2003 after a rebel group began attacking government targets, claiming that the region was being neglected by Khartoum.

The rebels say the government is oppressing black Africans in favour of Arabs, says BBC News.

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&to=http:// english.pravda.ru/diplomatic/2002/10/30/38918.html' target=_blank>Peace Agreement in Sudan