Powell in Sudan to assess Darfur crisis

AL-FASHER, Sudan -- Thousands of Sudanese displaced from their homes by ethnic violence emerged from makeshift shelters at a dusty refugee camp Wednesday to give a raucous welcome to Secretary of State Colin Powell in a region the United States has said is veering toward possible genocide.\nOther than the rows of fragile shelters built mostly with plastic sheeting, there was no overt display of serious humanitarian need among the tens of thousands Powell saw. Earlier this week, Powell raised the possibility that Sudanese authorities might try to mask the gravity of the situation in Darfur province by emptying refugee camps in time for his visit.\nPowell said he hoped the people at the camp he visited would soon be able to return to their homes, though he noted that the refugees appeared less needy than those housed elsewhere because of greater availability of food and medicines.\nThe crowd, many in colorful native dress, strained for a glimpse of the visiting VIP as he took an often-chaotic, 20-minute stroll through the Abu Shouk Camp just north of here, one of a dozen or so temporary shelters around beleaguered Darfur province that house people uprooted over the last 16 months.\nPowell has called the overall situation in Abu Shouk "horrific" and "catastrophic," an assessment which is sharply disputed by the Sudanese government.\nSudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail, who accompanied Powell to Darfur said Tuesday night that "there is no famine, no malnutrition and no disease" in Darfur.\nAfter Powell's visit Wednesday, Ismail told reporters that his government plans to work swiftly toward a political settlement between the rival factions in the province. "Hopefully in a very short time, we will reach agreement with the rebels," Ismail said.