Annan Says Massive Relief Effort Will be Needed if Violence Continues in Darfur

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says a massive relief effort will be needed if Sudan's Darfur region continues to be plagued by violence.

Addressing a donor's conference in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa Thursday, Mr. Annan said the international effort could reach what he called "epic" proportions if fear and violence prevent the people of Darfur from planting crops next year.

The aid conference is aimed at bolstering support for the African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur.

The 53-nation pan-African body is requesting hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to expand its force of 2700 peacekeepers to 12,000 by next year.

Fighting in Darfur between pro-government militias and rebels has left tens of thousands dead and has displaced some two million others.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.