Darfur crisis puts Sudan top of 'failed states' list

The humanitarian crisis in Darfur, which is now spilling over into neighbouring Chad, has pushed Sudan to the top of the Global Index of Failed States.

The report - compiled by the American magazine Foreign Policy and the think-tank Fund for Peace - was published as diplomats from Britain and the US flew to Africa to push for a peace settlement in Darfur.

African nations made up six of the top 10 failed states in the study and the regional impact of the Darfur crisis was reflected in Chad's presence at number six.

The US trade representative, Robert B Zoellick, and Britain's International Development Secretary, Hilary Benn, made unexpected arrivals at the talks in Nigeria in an attempt to pressure rebels and the Sudanese government into striking a deal before a midnight deadline last night.

The failed states index ranked nations by giving them a score based on criteria such as the massive movement of refugees and internally displaced peoples, widespread violation of human rights and intervention of other states.

The three-year internal conflict in Darfur has led to the deaths of at least 180,000 people and the displacement of more than two million.

The scale of the crisis put Sudan ahead of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the previous poll topper, Somalia, as well as Iraq.

The Darfur peace talks, taking place in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, have dragged on for two years, with mediators expressing frustration at the warring parties' unwillingness to compromise or to respect a ceasefire.

The African Union had set a deadline on Sunday, but extended the talks by 48 hours when the rebels rejected an AU draft agreement.

AU officials said yesterday there may be another two-day extension.

Ted Chaiban, who heads Sudan operations for Unicef, said that attacks were escalating in several areas in Darfur.

Mr Chaiban said the factions were probably expecting a treaty and were jockeying to hold the most territory before a ceasefire was declared.

"It is important that the agreement be signed so that this kind of jockeying ... would cease," Mr Chaiban said in an interview.

The fighting in Darfur has destabilised neighbouring Chad, where President Idriss Deby is almost certain to extend his 16-year rule as the country heads to the polls today.

Chad's main opposition parties are boycotting the poll, which leaves Mr Deby, who changed the constitution so he could stand for a third term, facing four candidates that are either officials in his government or lead parties allied to him.

It is only three weeks since a rebel attack on the capital and analysts have warned that the President's playing down of the insurgency could see Chad slide into a civil war.

Chadian rebels, who have vowed to oust Mr Deby, forced their way inside the gates of the capital N'djamena before being repelled by government forces.

"It spells civil war," said Suliman Baldo, Africa programme director at the International Crisis Group think-tank.

"Chad should evidently be higher on the international list because ... the crises in Darfur and Chad have converged to a point where it would be impossible to settle one without addressing the other."

Albissaty Saleh Allazam, a spokesman for the FUC rebel group, said: "I can tell you that there will certainly be another action, even more striking."

The UN refugee agency said four Chadians were killed and five wounded on Monday near a refugee camp by a group of 150 armed men.

The attackers were described as belonging to the Janjaweed Arab militia that the Sudanese government is accused of using against Darfur civilians in response to the rebellion.

The fact that the Sudanese government is believed to be backing the Chadian insurgents only complicates the situation.

"There's a risk that if Deby's regime collapses, then the refugee camps will not be protected," Olivier Bercault of Human Rights Watch said.

More than 200,000 refugees are sheltering in camps inside Chad, having already fled Darfur after attacks by the Janjaweed.

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