U.S. eases Sudan sanctions threat
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 One of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today.
 Thousands of refugees fleeing the war in Sudan have now crossed into Chad.
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UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The United States has toned down its threat of U.N. sanctions against Sudan, but said oil sanctions should be considered if the African nation does not stop the violence in the troubled Darfur region.
Ambassador John Danforth circulated the new draft resolution to the 15 nations of the Security Council on Tuesday, and said he hopes the body will pass it by the week's end.
"With respect to the number of people dying in Darfur, it is a true tragedy and all the more urgent to help the people of Darfur," he said.
Muslim militias, known as the Janjaweed, have been accused of committing widespread atrocities against black villagers and uprooting more than a million people, who have fled to other regions of Sudan or across the border to Chad.
Several international human rights groups estimate that 15,000 to 30,000 civilians have died in Darfur since fighting broke out in February 2003.
Secretary of State Colin Powell has called the violence "genocide."
The United States had floated a draft resolution last week. The latest one, however, dropped language for oil sanctions but said the Security Council should "consider taking additional measures," including oil sanctions, to get the Sudanese government to cooperate more fully.
The resolution demands Khartoum stop the violence, cease military flights over Darfur and increase access to international aid, including "unfettered access for humanitarian supplies and workers."
It also expresses "grave concern at the lack of progress with regard to security and the protection of civilians, disarmament of the Janjaweed and other militias and identification and bringing to justice militia leaders responsible for human rights and international humanitarian law violations in Darfur."
The resolution adds the Sudanese government "bears the primary responsibility to protect its population within its territory."
On July 30, the Security Council passed a resolution threatening action against Khartoum if it failed to disarm the Janjaweed militias killing Darfur's black Africans, and restore security within 30 days. That period recently expired.
The conflict in Darfur, in western Sudan, began last year when black Sudanese rebels attacked government property, accusing the government of neglecting Darfur in favor of the Arab population in Sudan.
The government responded by putting forward the Janjaweed to put down the rebellion. The warring factions recently agreed to a cease-fire but violence between them has continued.
