Rights workers call for UN sanctions against Sudan for Darfur atrocities
Nov 9, 2005 (UNITED NATIONS) — U.N. member states must join together in support of sanctions against Sudan’s government for its failure to disarm militias, end impunity and protect civilians in the restive Darfur region, human rights activists said
At a press briefing at the U.N. Correspondents Association on Tuesday, members of Human Rights Watch and a Sudanese human rights lawyer called on the United States and other Security Council members to end what they described as a “deadlock” in the sanctions process.
They criticized three members — China, Russia and Algeria — for blocking all Security Council attempts to impose effective sanctions against the Khartoum government or government-backed Arab militias.
“China, Russia and Algeria do not care very much about the humanitarian situation in Darfur,” said Georgette Gagnon, the deputy director for Human Rights Watch’s Africa division. “We’re looking for other (sanctions) committee members to really get things moving.”
Salih Mahmoud Osman, a lawyer with the Sudan Organization Against Torture who works with victims of human rights abuses in the troubled region, said there is an overall lack of accountability and “moral pressure” on Sudan.
Osman, who was to receive an award Tuesday night from Human Rights Watch for his work, said he believed China, Russia and Algeria were letting concerns about oil and arms sales cloud their judgment.
The Darfur conflict started in 2003 and has claimed the lives of more than 180,000 people, mainly through famine and disease, in what the U.N. has called the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Several million more have either fled into neighboring Chad or been displaced inside Sudan.
The violence began after rebels took up arms against the Sudanese government amid accusations of repression and unfair distribution of wealth. The government has been accused of supporting Arab nomads known as the Janjaweed, who have been blamed for a campaign of killings, rape and arson. The Sudanese government denies backing the Janjaweed.
Last week, the directors of Human Rights Watch’s Africa and Washington divisions sent an open letter to the U.S. State Department’s No. 2 official, Robert Zoellick, who is currently in Sudan to try to shore up peace efforts.
The letter urged Zoellick to demand the Sudanese government’s full cooperation with outside monitoring and relief agencies, and to call on the government to demonstrate its commitment to human rights and peace through actions rather than words.
“We also hope that the U.S. will play a leading role in implementing (proposed U.N. sanctions) despite divisions among the Security Council members,” the letter said.
Osman said “the U.N. has done something very important by referring the situation in Darfur to the Security Council.”
He expressed hope that sanctions and the threat of international accountability would act as deterrents against further abuses.
But for now, he said, “genocide is still occurring and it is not safe for my people to return home. The U.N. must not let Darfur slip off the radar screen.”
(AP/ST)