Sudan denies genocide in Darfur

Sept 26, 2005 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese Minister of Justice Mohamed Ali al-Mardi on Monday denied genocide or ethnic cleansing in Sudan, the official SUNA news agency reported.

At a meeting he held with the visiting UN chief Kofi Annan’s special adviser on the prevention of genocide, Juan Mendez, the minister of justice pointed out that the Darfur trials would continue, as well as the government’s determination to convict anyone who would be proved guilty of committing war crimes in the region.

Al-Mardi referred to the ongoing prosecution by the Sudanese government of suspects of crimes against humanity in the western region of Darfur and the government’s seriousness to try whoever was involved in such crimes in the war-torn region.

The minister of justice called upon the international organizations to appreciate the role played by the Sudanese government to restore security, stability and peace in Darfur, and not to give negative signals to the rebel movements.

He appreciated regional and international organizations for their efforts to help realize security and stability in Darfur, calling on these organizations to respect his government’s efforts to restore peace there.

For his part, the UN representative gave the minister of justice a detailed account on the reasons for his visit to Sudan, as well as the outcome of his visit to Darfur. He said that the significance of his mission was to prevent aggression and genocide against civilians all around the world.

He stressed the need for the Sudanese government to continue dialogue with different social groups in Darfur to seek a comprehensive solution to the Darfur crisis.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution in July 2004, asking Sudan to rein in Janjawid militias in 30 days or face international action.

The resolution has been dismissed by the Khartoum government.

(ST)