Regime knows UN has no appetite for action

One million people have fled their homes in Darfur and up to 50,000 have been killed - making it the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

The conflict began last year after a rebel group in Darfur began attacking government targets, saying that the region was being neglected by the capital, Khartoum.

Retaliation was swift. A progovernment militia, the Janjaweed, began sweeping through Darfur's villages killing men, raping women and children and destroying or stealing everything they could.

Observers note how their raids often seem to be co-ordinated with bombing forays by the Sudanese air force. What is beyond doubt is that Khartoum has done little to disarm the Janjaweed. Hundreds of thousands of villagers now huddle in camps near the main towns. The militia attacks anyone who ventures too far to search for food and water.

Last month the UN gave Khartoum until 30 August to stop the violence. In fact Sudan knows that, after Iraq, there is no appetite on the UN Security Council for sanctions or military action. The likeliest result next week is another deadline.

For all the tough talk of Jack Straw, since 2001 British firms have been encouraged to invest in Sudan, while the UK authorities have been less than eagle-eyed towards illicit trade.

As with Iran, Britain hopes to reform the Sudan regime by kindness. It is not a policy that has yet shown results in either place.