Egeland says the rebels are strong enough only to prove that the issues can't be resolved on the battlefield.

NPR: Darfur Violence Pits Sudan Against the U.N.

's top humanitarian official, Jan Egeland, says aid workers and civilians are getting caught in the crossfire in an increasingly complex war.

NPR: Darfur Violence Pits Sudan Against the U.N.

Both Egeland and Kapila approached Western governments but came away disappointed because most diplomats were focused on resolving another conflict, in southern Sudan, which had claimed 2 million lives over 20 years.

CNN: 'A horror movie and a snuff movie'

Mr. EGELAND: There is no military solution.

NPR: Darfur Violence Pits Sudan Against the U.N.

But Kapila and Egeland wanted more.

CNN: 'A horror movie and a snuff movie'

Mr. JAN EGELAND (Undersecretary General, Humanitarian Affairs, U.N.): We as humanitarians are now resigning to the fact that we will have to hang in there by our fingernails still for months to come before there might be a stronger security force.

NPR: Darfur Violence Pits Sudan Against the U.N.