Sudan government 'orchestrated Darfur crimes'
James Sturcke
Monday March 12, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
The Sudanese government has orchestrated and taken part in "large-scale international crimes" in Darfur, a high-level UN human rights team said today.
Headed by the Nobel peace laureate Jody Williams, the UN assessors found the Sudanese government was responsible for waging a ruthless campaign resulting in war crimes and human rights abuses.
"The principal pattern is one of a violent counter-insurgency campaign waged by the government of the Sudan in concert with Janjaweed/militia, and targeting mostly civilians. Rebel forces are also guilty of serious abuses of human rights and violations of humanitarian law," Ms Williams's team found.
During a two-week visit to the region, and despite Sudanese attempts to hamper their work by blocking visas, the five members of the UN party met hundreds of people affected by violence which has resulted in at least 200,000 deaths and the displacement of millions since rebels from African tribes took up arms against the government in 2003.
Most of the victims died after fleeing their homes under attack from government troops and the Arab Janjaweed militia they supported.
Sudan denies that widespread abuses have occurred in Darfur and does not recognise the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is also investigating war crimes in the region.
Repeated attempts by the UN and the African Union to halt the killings have proven "inadequate and ineffective", the 35-page advance version of the report (Word document) finds, and have been resisted by the Sudanese government.
"The mission further concludes that the government of the Sudan has manifestly failed to protect the population of Darfur from large-scale international crimes, and has itself orchestrated and participated in these crimes," the report says.
The report was commissioned last December by the UN human rights council, which is expected to consider options against Sudan in the coming fortnight.
The Sudanese government has resisted attempts by the UN to send a "heavy package", including a 2,250-strong military force of "enablers", made up of logistical and engineering experts, 300 UN police advisors and three police units (about 375 police) to patrol camps and protect civilians.
Ms Williams's team, whose central aim is to address how to protect civilians in Darfur, found that increasingly fragmented rebel movements have defied international attempts to end the conflict. The killing continues, safe areas are shrinking, rape is widespread and torture is meted out, the report concludes.
The Sudanese government has ignored attempts by the international community and human rights groups, and failed to make progress towards peace, expand humanitarian space, bring perpetrators of crimes to account or address the root causes of the conflict, the report says.
Since the report was commissioned, attacks against civilians have increased the number of internally displaced people to a record 2 million.
In mid-February, the UN team met African Union representatives in Addis Ababa and was then to proceed to Khartoum. However, the Sudanese government reneged on its promise to issue visas to the delegation. The team then decided to collect information from locations outside Sudan, including Chad.
The final report is expected before the end of the human rights council's fourth regular session on March 30.
The ICC began investigations into war crimes in Darfur in June 2005 after referral from the UN security council.
On February 27, the ICC chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, presented the charges against the former Sudanese interior minister and current state humanitarian affairs minister, Ahmed Haroun, and the Janjaweed commander, Ali Muhammad Ali abd-al-Rahman (alias Ali Kushayb). They are accused of 51 counts of crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and torture, in 2003 and 2004.
James Sturcke
Monday March 12, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
The Sudanese government has orchestrated and taken part in "large-scale international crimes" in Darfur, a high-level UN human rights team said today.
Headed by the Nobel peace laureate Jody Williams, the UN assessors found the Sudanese government was responsible for waging a ruthless campaign resulting in war crimes and human rights abuses.
"The principal pattern is one of a violent counter-insurgency campaign waged by the government of the Sudan in concert with Janjaweed/militia, and targeting mostly civilians. Rebel forces are also guilty of serious abuses of human rights and violations of humanitarian law," Ms Williams's team found.
During a two-week visit to the region, and despite Sudanese attempts to hamper their work by blocking visas, the five members of the UN party met hundreds of people affected by violence which has resulted in at least 200,000 deaths and the displacement of millions since rebels from African tribes took up arms against the government in 2003.
Most of the victims died after fleeing their homes under attack from government troops and the Arab Janjaweed militia they supported.
Sudan denies that widespread abuses have occurred in Darfur and does not recognise the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is also investigating war crimes in the region.
Repeated attempts by the UN and the African Union to halt the killings have proven "inadequate and ineffective", the 35-page advance version of the report (Word document) finds, and have been resisted by the Sudanese government.
"The mission further concludes that the government of the Sudan has manifestly failed to protect the population of Darfur from large-scale international crimes, and has itself orchestrated and participated in these crimes," the report says.
The report was commissioned last December by the UN human rights council, which is expected to consider options against Sudan in the coming fortnight.
The Sudanese government has resisted attempts by the UN to send a "heavy package", including a 2,250-strong military force of "enablers", made up of logistical and engineering experts, 300 UN police advisors and three police units (about 375 police) to patrol camps and protect civilians.
Ms Williams's team, whose central aim is to address how to protect civilians in Darfur, found that increasingly fragmented rebel movements have defied international attempts to end the conflict. The killing continues, safe areas are shrinking, rape is widespread and torture is meted out, the report concludes.
The Sudanese government has ignored attempts by the international community and human rights groups, and failed to make progress towards peace, expand humanitarian space, bring perpetrators of crimes to account or address the root causes of the conflict, the report says.
Since the report was commissioned, attacks against civilians have increased the number of internally displaced people to a record 2 million.
In mid-February, the UN team met African Union representatives in Addis Ababa and was then to proceed to Khartoum. However, the Sudanese government reneged on its promise to issue visas to the delegation. The team then decided to collect information from locations outside Sudan, including Chad.
The final report is expected before the end of the human rights council's fourth regular session on March 30.
The ICC began investigations into war crimes in Darfur in June 2005 after referral from the UN security council.
On February 27, the ICC chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, presented the charges against the former Sudanese interior minister and current state humanitarian affairs minister, Ahmed Haroun, and the Janjaweed commander, Ali Muhammad Ali abd-al-Rahman (alias Ali Kushayb). They are accused of 51 counts of crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and torture, in 2003 and 2004.
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