Rights group lauds presidential decree on humanitarian law

The London-based human rights organisation Amnesty International has hailed a recent decree issued by Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, ordering the appointment of a committee to bring Sudanese laws in line with international humanitarian law. "The committee should be formed of independent experts in Sudanese law and humanitarian law," the organisation said in a statement. "The Sudanese government should act decisively and speedily to ensure that breaches of international humanitarian law are ended and that the civilian population is protected." Bashir has also ordered implementation mechanisms to "execute the requirements" of international humanitarian law, Amnesty said. Although Sudan ratified the Geneva Conventions in 1957, which outline the protection of civilians in conflict, government forces - as well as the rebel Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and militias allied to both sides - have frequently violated the provisions of all four intruments, the statement said. For example, a recent report by the Civilian Protection Monitoring Team (CPMT) - set up last year by the US government with the agreement of both sides - found that the government and allied militias targeted civilians during January in attacks on number of oil areas of Western Upper Nile, the Amnesty statement said. An estimated two million people have been killed in the Sudanese conflict, and four million displaced. "It is high time that the government of Sudan takes concrete and effective action to put an end to such illegal practices which up to now it has condoned or encouraged," Amnesty said. It urged the SPLM/A to take similar action to ensure that laws and practices in areas under its control were in accordance with international humanitarian law and human rights standards.