Amnesty condemns abuses in Darfur

The United Kingdom based human rights watchdog Amnesty International has expressed concern over "massive" civilian abuses in Darfur, Western Sudan, and urged all parties to the conflict to respect their commitment under international human rights and humanitarian law. In a report released on Tuesday, the human rights body blamed Sudanese authorities and government-aligned militia known as "Janjawid" for threatening the lives and property of hundreds of thousands of civilians through indiscriminate bombings, killings, and forced displacement, in an attempt to end the escalating conflict in the region. The report entitled: "Sudan-Darfur: "Too many people killed for no reason", accused the government forces of carrying out indiscriminate arrests, abductions and torture, including rape of women and girls. "As fighting and displacement of civilians intensifies in Darfur, western Sudan, Amnesty International is requesting all parties to the conflict to respect international human rights and humanitarian law at all times," the organisation said. An estimated 600,000 Sudanese people have been displaced out of which about 110,000 have fled to neighbouring Chad, since February 2003, due to fighting between the Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A). Amnesty said it had, during a visit to the refugees in eastern Chad in November 2003, recorded numerous testimonies from Sudanese refugees, who reported attacks on villages and towns by both government-aligned militia and government soldiers. "The nature of the killings committed by government soldiers and by the Janjawid point to a pattern of extra judicial executions and unlawful killings," it said. "There is clear evidence of cooperation between government forces and government-aligned militia. The Sudanese government should cease all support to the Janjawid or establish a clear chain of command and control over them, including making them accountable for abuses of international humanitarian law," it added. The Sudanese authorities, it added, had neither condemned the numerous cases of grave human rights abuses committed in Darfur, nor conducted transparent and impartial investigations into them. "By its silence in the face of abuses, the Sudanese government is condoning or encouraging further abuses. Government forces and its aligned militia must immediately end the targeting of civilians," it said. The Sudanese government, whose negotiated ceasefire with the SLM/A broke down in mid-December after only three months, after which fighting escalated, has denied the claims. Amnesty also called on government-opposed forces, notably, the SLM/A and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law that binds all parties to internal armed conflicts to respect and protect the lives and livelihoods of civilians in areas under their control. Both rebel groups say they are fighting for political and economic equality in Darfur.