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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
SUDAN: Violence still reported in Darfur despite accords
NAIROBI, 7 Dec 2004 (IRIN) - Reports of sexual violence, including rape, have persisted in Sudan's strife-torn western region of Darfur, despite agreements between Khartoum and rebel groups, aimed at improving the security situation in the area, the UN human rights agency said.
Incidents of sexual assault had aggravated the sense of insecurity among internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Darfur, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) spokesman, José Luis Díaz, told reporters in Geneva on Friday at a briefing on the findings of the agency's monitors in Darfur during November.
Women and young girls were afraid to leave the camps in some areas and fighting continued to put civilians at risk in various places, Díaz said. He cited the launching of 18 mortars by government forces into the village of Masteri in West Darfur in response to an attack from that region.
Clashes continued despite accords signed in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on 9 November between the government and two rebel groups - the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and the Justice and Equality Movement - aimed at improving the humanitarian and security situation in Darfur.
Diaz said IDPs continued to distrust and fear the police, and that widespread impunity continued, with reports that police still refused to record complaints of attacks. In South Darfur, there was an escalation in the number of forced relocations of IDPs, he said.
He added that during the reporting period, there were apparently no arrests or trials of members of a militia, popularly known as the Janjawid, who have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians. There were also cases of reported abduction of civilians by the rebel SLA in West Darfur, he said.
Fighting in Darfur started in 2003 when indigenous communities took up arms, accusing Khartoum of decades of neglect and oppression. In its efforts to pacify the region, President Omar El-Bashir's government is widely believed to have backed the Janjawid, an Arab militia accused of subjecting black African villagers in Darfur to brutal attacks.
About 1.45 million people have been displaced, while another 200,000 are living as refugees in neighbouring Chad.
[ENDS]
This material comes to you via IRIN, a UN humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies. If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Quotations or extracts should include attribution to the original sources. All materials copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2004
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