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UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |
SUDAN: Investigate Darfur attacks, government urged
NAIROBI, 6 Nov 2006 (IRIN) - The Sudanese government must urgently investigate recent attacks on villages in West Darfur, and collect evidence to prosecute those who planned the attacks, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) said.
The High Commissioner, Louise Arbour, urged Sudan to identify those responsible for failing to prevent the attacks, and for failing to protect the population and disarm militias operating in the western Darfur region.
"At the very least, the attacks demonstrate the government of Sudan's continued failure to disarm militia in Darfur, and at worse its use of militia forces that target civilian populations," she said in a report.
The attacks, around the Jebel Moon area, have led to the deaths of at least 50 civilians, including 26 children, the human rights agency said.
"The primary responsibility [to investigate the attacks] is with the Sudanese government," José Luis Díaz, the UNHCHR spokesperson, told IRIN on Monday. "If it cannot do it, then it should seek help from others."
The attacks, which occurred on 29 October, were carried out by hundreds of armed men in green camouflage uniforms, described by local people as ‘Janjawid’ militias – a group allied to the Sudanese government. At least eight villages and one camp for internally displaced persons’ were attacked, displacing an estimated 7,000 people.
The attackers reportedly opened random fire on the civilians and rounded up livestock. They also plundered goods, burnt food stores and damaged the water supply systems.
A government spokesman in Khartoum denied the involvement of Sudanese authorities in the attacks, telling the official Sudan News Agency that neither the army nor the pro-government paramilitary groups were presently involved in clashes in the war-torn region of Darfur.
"There are active outlaws in Darfur and it is not fair to accuse the government for all the looting, killing and violence," Ali Sadeq said.
UNHCHR, in its report issued on Friday in cooperation with the UN Mission in Sudan, acknowledged that the governor of West Darfur had established an investigative committee in response to the attacks. However, while Sudan had initiated such investigations in the past, "many appear not to have been completed and there is no consistent attempt to carry out detailed, transparent, and timely investigations and bring perpetrators of large scale attacks to justice".
"The government of Sudan must urgently conduct an impartial, timely and transparent investigation into the attacks," Arbour said in the report. She urged the government to facilitate access to the affected areas for the delivery of medical and humanitarian assistance, and secure roads so that those injured can access necessary medical services.
The report - the sixth of its kind on the human rights situation - said the army "did not take action to protect civilians", and local authorities who knew about the build up of militias in the area also took no effective action.
"There are also troubling indications that Sudanese military personnel may have participated in the attacks, based on descriptions of some of the attackers," it said.
Most of the attackers rode on horseback and were described by local African civilians as Arab. "They attacked with Kalashnikovs, assault rifles, rocket propelled grenades and other weapons," the agency quoted witnesses as saying. Witnesses claimed the men wore new uniforms and that three of them wore the insignia of commissioned officers of the Sudanese army.
The area where the attacks took place is currently largely controlled by two rebel groups - the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement. Since 2005, there have been several attacks against civilians in the area, including one in September 2005 in which at least 27 people were killed. Those who have borne the brunt of the attacks are mainly from the Zaghawa, Jebel and Erenga ethnic groups.
The Janjawid militias have been active in Darfur since 2003 when rebels took up arms to fight for greater autonomy from the Sudanese government. In response, the government armed the Janjawid to counter the rebellion. They are accused of killings, rape and plunder.
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[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 2006
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