One week before the UN Security Council's Darfur deadline expires, it is clear the international community needs to get much tougher, says the International Crisis Group in a new report. "Failure now would not only mean many tens of thousands more dead, but likely condemn Sudan to more years of war and further spread instability to its neighbours. Khartoum has not met its commitments to neutralise the government-supported Janjaweed militias responsible for the massive human rights violations and humanitarian disaster. The Security Council should authorise the African Union to send a peacekeeping mission to protect civilians."

The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has denied allegations of financial irregularities made by its head of finance and administration department, Colin Braude. In a statement, SAHRC said that "there is simply no basis to the allegations...as is evidenced by the findings of an independent external forensic audit." The statement followed a report by a newspaper claiming that the SAHRC had suspended a whistle blower (Braude) at a time when the public prosecutor was urging the protection of people who exposed corruption.