United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he is shocked by the level of poverty and hardship at refugee camps in the Darfur region of Sudan. Ban Ki-moon asked for international help to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese. He told journalists he had made good progress in organizing a date and venue for long-promised peace talks expected to take place in October. Meanwhile, former Irish President Mary Robinson has launched a campaign to raise awareness about the suffering of women in the African nation of Chad, where many Sudanese refugees have fled. She spoke yesterday about her recent trip to Chad.

Mary Robinson: “We believe that somebody must focus on gender-based violence, on the extent of the rape, and currently on the lack of security in the camps and in the surrounds. And that’s one thing that the European Union force can do a great deal to address, but it also needs a wider political solution, both in Chad and in Darfur.”