Top UN envoy accuses Sudan of illegally driving refugees away from camp

By EDITH M. LEDERER, Assciated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 3, 2004 (AP) — The top U.N. envoy to Sudan accused security forces in southern Darfur of forcing several thousand people who had taken refuge in a camp to move against their will in “flagrant violation” of international law.

Jan Pronk [photo] demanded that all those rounded up and forced to leave the El Geer camp at 3 a.m. Tuesday be returned immediately from the Sherif camp, where they were taken.

“It has to stop — not only in El Geer but as a policy everywhere,” Pronk said, demanding that the government keep its agreement with the United Nations barring the forced transfer of any internally displaced people, known as IDPs. Refugees, in legal terms, are those who have crossed borders.

The U.N. envoy, who is scheduled to report to the U.N. Security Council Thursday on the situation in Darfur, confirmed that the “overall” security situation in the vast western region — which is the size of France — has deteriorated in the last few weeks.

Pronk said the early morning incident at El Geer, a camp close to the city of Nyala where about 30,000 people have taken refuge, was the most important but “there are other activities also in other places,” which he did not disclose.

At a hastily called news conference, Pronk said “a couple of thousand” people were taken early Tuesday to Sherif, a location “desired by the government” that is outside Nyala and not as desirable for displaced people trying to earn money.

He said the people who were forced to move from El Geer had “the right to resist.” He said he couldn’t confirm reports that the Sudanese forces used tear gas, but said there were no reports of injuries.

While he blamed Sudanese forces in southern Darfur, Pronk left open the possibility that the forced transfer from El Geer was not carried out on instructions from the government in Khartoum.

But he was clearly outraged that those rounded up in the middle of the night were erroneously told that the United Nations had approved the move.

“The government has told these IDPs that this was happening in close consultation with the United Nations and in consultation with non-governmental organizations, which is not the case,” Pronk said.

In a statement issued later by his spokesman, Secretary-General Kofi Annan echoed Pronk’s words and strongly urged the government “to halt immediately all such relocation operations and to facilitate the return of the affected persons from the inappropriate sites to which they have been taken.”

Pronk said he expected a strong international protest against the forced moves not only by the United Nations and non-governmental organizations working in Darfur but also by the United States and European governments.

The violence in Darfur began in January 2003 when two black African rebel groups took up arms over alleged unjust treatment by the Sudanese government and ethnic Arab countrymen. Pro-government militias called Janjaweed reacted by unleashing attacks on villages.

The conflict has killed at least 70,000 people and forced 1.5 million people to flee their homes, creating what U.N. officials say is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today.

U.N. officials said Tuesday’s action was in apparent retaliation for the abduction of 18 Arabs by the rebel Sudan Liberation Army.

Annan urged the rebels to release the hostages and called on the Arab militias who have mobilized thousands in west and south Darfur to “stand down,” warning that “the SLA and the militias risk sparking a new round of violence that could claim the lives of thousands of civilians.”

He also urged the parties to respect a cease-fire signed in April.