AU charges miltia of last month violence in Darfur

Nov 7, 2005 (KHARTOUM) — African Union (AU) investigators have changed their verdict on the killings of six AU personnel in Sudan’s Darfur region last month, shifting the blame from SLA rebels to Arab tribesmen in a report.

Four AU soldiers, monitoring a shaky ceasefire in Darfur, and two civilian drivers were killed in an hour-long gunfight with armed men in early October, becoming the AU mission’s first casualties after more than a year of operations in the region.

The AU initially blamed rebels of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) for the attack.

But the AU investigation report, signed by rebel and government representatives and seen by Reuters, later said it was Arab nomads who killed the troops, on the grounds of witness accounts.

“The team concludes that this attack was orchestrated by the Arab nomads from Marlam area,” the report, dated Oct. 24, said. Marlam is near the attack site.

Tens of thousands have been killed and more than 2 million forced from their homes during 2-1/2 years of conflict in Darfur. Non-Arab rebels took up arms against Khartoum, accusing it of monopolising wealth and power.

The international community says Khartoum responded by arming mostly Arab militias, who stand accused of a widespread campaign of looting, rape and killing in non-Arab villages.

The United States has called the violence genocide, a charge Khartoum denies. The International Criminal Court is investigating alleged war crimes in Darfur.

The Darfur rebel groups, plagued by factionalism and infighting, have been increasingly blamed for attacks on aid and commercial convoys in Darfur. Reuters recently saw SLA rebels driving stolen World Food Programme trucks in their areas.

But SLA leader Minni Arcua Minnawi denied his soldiers were responsible for the attack on the AU, during which two soldiers were killed and two drivers were shot dead at the scene. The AU were forced to retreat because they ran out of ammunition.

Two Nigerian soldiers went missing during the attack and their bullet-riddled bodies found days later, after they were apparently executed near the attack site.

“We do not blame the AU but wish they would investigate fully before making accusations,” Minnawi told Reuters by telephone from Darfur. He said he had seen a copy of the AU report.

The African Union had previously said its soldiers who survived the attack had clearly identified SLA vehicles and uniforms and said that the area was controlled by the group.

But Minnawi denied that the stretch of road in South Darfur was controlled by his troops.

The report quoted civilian witnesses as saying they had been held by the attackers before the AU troops arrived and the gunfight began. They said they recognised their captors as Arab nomads.

“They (the civilians) also reported that they were asked questions about AU and SLA soldiers in Khor Abeche,” the report said. Khor Abeche is a town near the attack site where the AU has a base and which was previously an SLA stronghold.

AU officials in Khartoum declined to immediately comment on the report.

(Reuters)