Sudan denies government soldiers involved in human rights abuses in Darfur

TUNIS, May 22, 2004 (AP) — Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Othman Ismail on Saturday denied government troop involvement in human rights abuses in Darfur but acknowledged violations by state-backed tribes.

Speaking to reporters in Tunis, where he represented Sudan at the Arab League summit, Ismail also scoffed at accusations by international aid organizations of ethnic cleansing in the war-ravaged region of western Sudan .

“There are reports of human rights violations whether by the tribes or militias,” he said in response to a League report critical of the African nation.

The report, which was prepared by a League’s fact-finding committee, was never made public but parts were leaked to the press this week.

Sudan ‘s President Omar el-Bashir stayed away from the summit apparently in protest of the report.

Ismail said his government hasn’t seen the Arab League’s report but “what has been published about it seemed unbalanced.” The three-man Arab League mission spent 15 days in Darfur and neighboring Chad and Ethiopia before drawing its conclusions.

Ismail insisted the government will put on trial those who are behind the abuse.

“There is no ethnic cleansing in Darfur. It is even wrong to say that there are Arab and African tribes there, no one can differentiate between their colors,” he said.

The government announced Friday that it was easing restrictions on humanitarian groups trying to assist in the troubled region of Darfur. A joint statement released the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs said the government will issue three-month visas for humanitarian workers in 48 hours.

The U.N. and a number of aid organizations have complained of rejections or delays in receiving travel permits to Darfur, where more than a year of fighting has displaced almost one million people and led to a major humanitarian crisis.

Aid agencies have also alleged that the Arab-dominated government of providing support to Arab militiamen who are allegedly waging a campaign of ethnic cleansing against African tribes.

Thousands of people in Darfur are believed to have died since early 2003, when rebels began fighting for autonomy and greater state aid.