UN envoy warns of escalating violence in Darfur

Sept 26, 2005 (KHARTOUM) — The U.N. envoy for prevention of genocide Juan Mendez warned Monday that violence is increasing in the wartorn region of Darfur and criticized the Sudanese national courts for doing little to try suspects accused of atrocities.

“The situation in Darfur now is disturbing, violence is spreading, and the displaced don’t trust the Sudanese police or the Sudanese judiciary system,” Mendez told reporters after his second assessment visit to Darfur. His first visit was a year ago.

He said that it is not part of his mission to decide whether there is a genocide in Darfur or not but mainly to report to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan about the situation compared to a year ago.

He also lashed out at the Sudanese national courts for not doing enough to punish those suspected of involvement in the violence in Darfur. In June, Sudan set up a special court for that purpose, as an attempt to fend off U.N. demands to hand over Darfur war crimes suspects to an international court, but the court has made only minor convictions.

Mendez urged Sudan to cooperate with the international court in The Hague, Netherlands, saying it would not negatively affect national sovereignty.

“It’s in the interest of the Sudanese government to cooperate with the International Criminal Court, by allowing its international interrogators to have access to the country and to have access to documents,” he said.

Sudan has refused to turn over any Darfur suspects to the ICC despite U.N. demands.

Darfur’s crisis erupted when rebels took up arms against what they saw as years of state neglect and discrimination against Sudanese of African origin. The government is accused of responding with a counterinsurgency campaign in which the ethnic Arab militia, known as Janjaweed, committed wide-scale abuses against ethnic Africans.

Government troops and some rebels have also committed abuses, according to rights groups.

(AP/ST)