Sudan says police probing Darfur rape cases

KHARTOUM, Oct 20 (AFP) — Sudanese police are investigating the rape of five under-age girls by rebels in the western Darfur region, a senior government official was quoted as saying Wednesday.

Justice ministry official and human rights rapporteur Abdel Monim Osman Taha told the Akhbar Al-Youm daily that a medical examination confirmed the multiple rapes in a village in West Darfur State’s Kulbus district.

The official said a lawsuit had been filed against the suspects but provided no further details on the alleged incidents.

Marauding Arab militias used by the government as proxies since the start of the Darfur rebellion in February 2003 have been accused by the United Nations and international rights groups of massacres and mass rape against civilians there.