As many as 300,000 people may have died in Sudan's western Darfur region, a new report published today said.
The parliamentary committee its report in London today after the UN voted to impose sanctions on those responsible for atrocities in Darfur.
As well as recommending sanctions on Sudan, the report also urged the UN Security Council to extend its arms embargo and refer war criminals to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
"The world's failure to protect the people of Darfur from the atrocities committed against them by their own government is a scandal," said Tony Baldry, chairman of the cross-party International Development Committee.
The committee said it believed around 300,000 people may have died, far higher than previous death tolls which it said had underestimated the scale of the disaster.
It said it based its figure on estimates from UN Emergency Relief Co-ordinator Jan Egeland who has said he believed the death toll was much greater than a previous World Health Organisation estimate. The UN health body estimated that 70,000 people had died from hunger and disease in Darfur between March and October 2004, but with hard figures difficult to get, the toll has been fiercely contested.
A rebellion has raged in the region for more than two years, prompting 2 million to flee their homes. Sudan's government admits arming some militias to quell the rebellion but denies links to Arab militias known as Janjaweed who are accused of raping, killing and looting.
The UN Security Council voted last night to impose a travel ban and an asset freeze on those responsible for the atrocities. The vote was by 12 to 0 with three abstentions: China, Russia and Algeria.
The sanctions will come into effect in 30 days, after a list of offenders has been drawn up by a Security Council committee including all members of the 15-nation body.
The US-drafted resolution would also strengthen an arms embargo on Sudan and forbid the Khartoum government from offensive military flights into Darfur.
It says the Sudanese government should notify the Security Council before sending military equipment to the western region.
"We are pleased that 12 members of the council voted to adopt this resolution," US envoy Stuart Holliday told reporters.
"We hope it will put the appropriate pressure on all the parties to the Darfur conflict to end this tragic chapter."
Sudan's UN ambassador, Elfatih Erwa, said the resolution was passed under pressure from the US Congress, which "does not know the history, the culture of the people...or does not understand it."
He said the Africa Union, which is fielding some 2,000 monitors and soldiers in Darfur, did not support sanctions, although council members Tanzania and Benin voted in favour.
China's UN ambassador, Wang Guangya, told reporters the sanctions would not contribute to peace. "Our concern is that when we apply measures, if the measures are not positive in the sense of being constructive, we find it difficult" to vote in favour, Mr Wang said.