UN expert calls on government to end abuses in Darfur

The United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions has called on the Sudanese government to end the "culture of impunity" for those committing human rights abuses in the western region of Darfur. Briefing reporters in New York after completing a 13-day tour of Sudan earlier this month, Asma Jahangir was quoted by UN News on Wednesday as saying that "there was no doubt that Khartoum had sponsored, armed or recruited" the Janjawid militias which have been blamed for committing most of the atrocities in Darfur. Last month, UN human rights reports said the Janjawid and other militias allied to the government "had committed numerous human rights violations in Darfur, including murders, rapes, and the looting and destruction of villages". Jahangir said "nearly every third or fourth family" she had spoken to while visiting camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Darfur had lost a relative to the militias. "It's very hard to say [accurately] how many people have been killed," she said, but interviews with IDPs indicated that it would be "quite a large number... They are bound to be staggering," she added. She stressed that it was important for the international community to begin cataloguing what had been happening in Darfur since fighting broke out between the government and the rebel groups last year. Once that was done, it could decide what steps to take against the planners of the violent campaign by the militias. Jahangir went on to say that the militias, who, like the indigenous African they were targeting, were predominantly Muslims, often wore the uniforms of Sudanese government soldiers and used government vehicles. They often raided villages "in concert with attacks by military forces", she added. She cautioned, however, that she did not have enough information yet to categorise what had happened in Darfur "as either ethnic cleansing or genocide", but "there are strong indications of crimes against humanity". Jahangir is expected to present a formal report on her visit by the end of next month. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was expected to arrive in Sudan on Wednesday and will visit IDP camps in Darfur to see for himself the situation there. He is also expected to visit refugee camps in Chad, where an estimated 200,000 refugees are camped. UN agencies estimate that since the outbreak of conflict in Darfur, more than one million people have been displaced.