Africa minister warns of Sudan "freefall"

By Opheera McDoom

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (Reuters) - Sudan could tip into "freefall" unless the international community helps to resolve its multiple crises, Britain's minister for Africa said on the sidelines of an African summit on Monday.

A lack of progress towards resolving the 5-1/2-year-old Darfur conflict, fighting in the oil-rich Abyei region claimed by both north and south Sudan, and tension with neighbouring Chad were all critical issues, Mark Malloch-Brown told Reuters.

"We've got to find a way to help Sudan and its constituent parts start to work through these problems and solve them, otherwise ... there could be a dangerous tipping point where the country goes into a freefall."

In particular, he said a joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force, UNAMID, must deploy fast in Sudan's Darfur region to help the efforts of a new joint U.N./AU mediator for Darfur, Burkino Faso Foreign Minister Djibril Bassole.

International experts estimate 200,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been driven from their homes in Darfur since mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in 2003, accusing the central government of neglect.

"Unless UNAMID deployment rapidly ramps up ... it in a sense removes the critical underpinning and momentum for peace which comes out of improved security," Malloch-Brown said.

Bassole's appointment was officially confirmed by the United Nations on Monday. Sudanese Foreign Minister Deng Alor made it clear that Khartoum had no objections.

"It's okay -- we are happy," he told Reuters. "He's a foreign minister and he has held many ministerial positions and is a military man."