Despite a recent African Union-backed agreement with rebels to end the conflict in Darfur, violence, ethnic killings and rapings have continued in the region. Following the UN Security Council’s failure to agree a strong resolution on Darfur in Nairobi last week, the delayed peace effort has been condemned by international aid agencies and Christian peers.

A press release from Oxfam, the UK-based aid agency, claims that the European Union is one of the last hopes for tough action to press the parties to stop the continued violence and insecurity in Darfur after the failure of the UN Security Council.

Jo Leadbeater, Head of Oxfam’s EU Advocacy Office said, "The European Union must step in to the void left by the UN Security Council’s failure, and take action to stop the violence in Darfur."

The U.K and U.S, two of the world’s most important centres of influence, have shown their concern at the situation. Yesterday, Christian politician and Founder of the human rights campaign Jubilee, Lord David Alton said he believed that the international community are being "deceived" by the Sudanese Government.

He explained that the Sudanese government had been required by a United Nations mandatory resolution to disarm Janjaweed militia, but this had not been done and the slaughter has gone on.

British politicians have commented that the Sudanese rulers are "largely to blame" for what is going on, and have called for targeted sanctions, a no-fly zone over Darfur, an arms embargo and an asset freeze.

The shadow foreign secretary Michael Ancram, Labour MEP Glenys Kinnock, Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Sir Menzies Campbell and some Conservative figures have called on the British Prime Minister Tony Blair to take action on the peace dialogue in Sudan. The call was backed by Lord Alton.

The U.S. based charity, Save the Children, sent at least 30 staff to the war-torn Darfur region yesterday. They have expressed their commitment to offer support to the victims after many aid agencies have pulled out due to ongoing insecurity. The charity’s Sudan director, Kate Halff told BBC Radio 4 that she was concerned about security as both sides in the crisis were ignoring a ceasefire.

John C. Danforth, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, was outraged over a ruling made on Tuesday in the General Assembly’s committee on social, humanitarian and cultural affairs to take no action on a measure citing human rights violations in Sudan, which the United States has called genocide.

Danforth questioned the purpose of the General Assembly if it has not been trying its very best to denounce human right violations; "One wonders about the utility of the General Assembly on days like this? One wonders if there can’t be a clear and direct statement on matters of basic principle, why have this building? What is it all about?"