Rights group says Abyei displaced remain unable to return
July 22, 2008 (NEW YORK) – More than a month after the signing after the signing of a roadmap to end dispute over Abyei and the return of the displaced, tens of thousands of civilians are still unable to return to their home, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
A HRW investigation in June 2008 documented the deaths of at least 18 civilians in the fighting in mid-May most of them deliberately killed by Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) or allied militia. Due to SAF restrictions on access to the area in the weeks following the fighting, the total number of casualties remains unknown.
The 32-page report, “Abandoning Abyei: Destruction and Displacement, May 2008,” documents human rights violations committed by SAF forces and allied militia before, during, and after clashes with Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) between May 13 and 21.
Abyei inhabitants who had fled south of the town said that SAF soldiers shot civilians who were trying to flee, and detained and then arbitrarily killed others.
“Two months after the clashes there is still no clear information on how many civilians died and under what circumstances,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.
SAF soldiers and allied militia carried out massive looting and destroyed more than half the town, the rights watchdog said. By May 17 they had burned more than half the homes in Abyei to the ground and completely destroyed the market. Soldiers and militia also looted and set fire to compounds and property of UN and humanitarian agencies in Abyei, HRW accused.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, approximately 60,000 people fled the town during the fighting, and at least 50,000 are still living in temporary shacks or crowded into homes with other families in Twic County, south of Abyei.
The two ruling parties in northern and southern Sudan, the National Congress Party (NCP) and the SPLM reached a roadmap on June 8 which called on both sides to withdraw their forces from the area and deploy a new Joint Integrated Unit (JIU) to provide security in the town before the return of the population.
However, neither side has completely withdrawn its troops. Displaced people from Abyei told Human Rights Watch they would not go home until this was done, out of fear of a return to violence.
The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) was aware of growing tensions and the build-up of troops in Abyei since late 2007. But there were only 200 peacekeepers, a force that was insufficient to protect civilians and their property.
UNMIS was also hampered by long-standing restrictions on its movement by both the SAF and SPLA, despite a mandate that guarantees full freedom of movement.
The rights group warned that delays in implementation of the roadmap are leading to renewed tension between the two sides. On July 7, a SPLM soldier shot and injured a UN military observer and a SAF monitor in Agok, south of Abyei.
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