Bush tightens sanctions after Sudan rejects UN troops

The United States has tightened its sanctions against Sudan in attempt to force Khartoum to allow UN peacekeepers into Darfur. The US targeted 31 companies with close ties to the Sudanese government and three individuals linked to the violence in Darfur that has forced millions from their homes and has left at least 200,000 dead.

The American President, George Bush, also announced plans for a fresh UN resolution to strengthen international pressure against Sudan. But China, which buys two-thirds of Sudan's oil and holds a veto on the Security Council, dismissed concerns yesterday about the continuing humanitarian crisis in Darfur.

Liu Guijin, China's newly appointed Darfur envoy who has just returned from the region, said: "I didn't see a desperate scenario of people dying of hunger." Darfur requires investment, he argued, not sanctions. "Only when poverty and underdevelopment are addressed will peace be there in Sudan," he said.

The US also failed to gain agreement for fresh sanctions from Britain and the European Union. The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has called for EU-wide sanctions, but so far the EU has failed to find an agreement.

President Bush made the announcement after the failure of the Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir, to accept a joint United Nations/African Union (AU) peacekeeping force in Darfur. "The people of Darfur are crying out for help, and they deserve it," Mr Bush said. "My administration has called these actions by their rightful name: genocide. The world has a responsibility to help put an end to it."

Despite agreeing to a "hybrid operation" of 20,000 UN and AU personnel last November, President Bashir has since stalled at every stage of the agreed three-phase deployment. After five months of negotiations, President Bashir finally agreed to the second phase in April - a deployment of 3,000 UN personnel, none of whom are infantry.

The African Union currently has a total of 7,000 personnel in Darfur, but its mission is understaffed, under-resourced and increasingly under fire.

"These sanctions will probably not be very effective," warned Dave Mozersky, of the International Crisis Group. "Simply adding more unilateral US measures will not be enough on its own. There needs to be a more broad-based and multilateral approach to dealing with the Sudanese government."

US sanctions have been in place in Sudan for 10 years. Originally imposed for allegedly supporting terrorist networks, including allowing Osama Bin Laden to live in Khartoum, the sanctions have remained - first in an effort to stop the civil war in south Sudan, then to put pressure on Khartoum over Darfur. The US now considers Sudan to be a "strong partner in the war on terror".

But while US companies are barred from operating in Sudan, and European businesses have steered clear, Khartoum has turned east towards the Gulf, India, Malaysia and China.

Despite the sanctions, Khartoum is booming. Overall GDP has more than doubled in the past five years to $27.7bn (£14bn). Average per capita income has also doubled, from $310 to $640.