Sudan rights body differs with reports on Darfur crisis

KHARTOUM, Sudan, May 13, 2004 (PANA) — The Khartoum-based Advisory Council for Human Rights has lamented what it claimed were subjective reports by some international organizations concerning the human rights situation Sudan`s troubled region of Western Darfur.

“The organizations persistently tried to accuse the government of the crime of ethnic cleansing or at last complicity in it, a charge which is not proved by repeated accusations or hearsay from persons panicked by the war,” the council said in a release Thursday.

Urging national and foreign voluntary agencies to visit the region and help alleviate the suffering of refugees and displaced people, the Council commended what it said were efforts exerted by the government at the political, humanitarian and judicial levels in the restive region.

It cited three panels set up by the Minister of Justice to investigate complaints from war-affected people, calling on all citizens who have complaints to present these to the panels.

The Council welcomed the decision by UN Commission on Human Rights to appoint an independent rapporteur to discuss human rights in Darfur, urging all concerned government organs to facilitate his mission and grant him full cooperation.

It also acknowledged the role of donors, including the European Union (EU), US Agency for International Development (USAID), Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and State of Kuwait.

The UN estimates that the conflict in Darfur has displaced more than a million people, with about 110,000 fleeing into neighbouring Chad.