UN to assess Darfur attack aftermath
February 11, 2008 (EL-GENEINA) — A U.N. assessment team left on Monday to areas in West Darfur reportedly attacked by the Sudanese army and allied militia in a major offensive which residents said killed at least 47 people in one town alone.
Khartoum said its forces had attacked the Darfur rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) who claimed control of the area. But residents said no rebels were in the towns and tribal leaders and that civil servants were killed by the militia.
The towns of Abu Surouj, Sirba and Suleia are located in a remote area north of el-Geneina, capital of West Darfur state, close to the Chad border.
“The assessment mission left to go to Sirba. It’s a multilateral humanitarian mission accompanied by UNAMID (United Nations African Mission in Darfur),” said Orla Clinton, spokeswoman for the U.N. humanitarian office (OCHA).
On Monday leaders from the Erenga tribe, which lives in the area, told Reuters that they had recorded the names of 47 people killed in Sirba and 17 in Suleia.
Suleiman Jamous, the Darfur rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) humanitarian coordinator, said about 38 had been killed in Abu Surouj but added that the numbers were difficult to verify.
A senior Sudanese army source involved in the operation told Reuters they had gathered hundreds of AK-47s and other heavy weapons in the three towns. He said that while some civilians may have been killed in the crossfire, they had fought troops from JEM many of whom were wearing civilian clothing.
“We lost soldiers and had injured — so we were definitely met with some resistance,” he said, adding that two Sudanese army soldiers were killed and 12 injured in the operation.
He said JEM, which attacked and drove police out of the area last year, had cut off the towns from the outside world and the army operation was to regain control and open the roads.
The world’s largest aid operation in Darfur has not been able to travel to the area in recent months because of the fighting.
MILITIAS
The governor of West Darfur, Abu el-Gasim, said he did not hold the Sudanese army responsible for the deaths and burning of homes, saying it was militias who had looted and killed.
Khartoum mobilised mostly Arab militia to quell the Darfur revolt which began in early 2003 as many non-Arab rebels took up arms accusing the central government of neglect.
Abu el-Gasim said the attack underlined the importance of the implementation of the security protocols of a May 2006 Darfur peace agreement, which only a few of the fractious insurgent groups signed.
“We have to have disarmament in Darfur to be able to resolve this issue,” he told Reuters.
Rights group Amnesty International condemned Khartoum over the attack but said JEM should stay away from civilian areas.
The U.N. refugee agency has said they have found around 12,000 Darfuri refugees who fled the attacks which began on Friday in eastern Chad. Rebels say the entire population of 200,000 have fled. But Sudan’s army said many had come home in the town of Sirba.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for a junior cabinet minister and an allied militia leader accused of orchestrating war crimes in Darfur. Khartoum refuses to hand them over.
(Reuters)