Human rights expert pledges support for reconciliation in Darfur

February 3, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The United Nation’s independent expert on the human rights situation in Sudan, Mashood Baderin, has vowed to support the Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) in its efforts to achieve reconciliation in the region.

The expert started a seven-day visit on Sunday to Khartoum and the western Darfur region where he is expected to meet civil society groups, foreign diplomats and UN representatives, as well as national and regional officials.

On Sunday, he met with Sudanese justice minister Mohamed Bushara Dosa and the commissioner for the DRA’s office of justice, truth and reconciliation, Hameed Ahmed Amin.

Following Sunday’s meeting with Amin at the ministry of justice, Baderin pledged to provide support and assistance to the DRA office.

He also promised to help with building the capacity of national civil society organisations working in the field of human rights through the transfer of expertise in addressing human rights under transitional justice, along with discussing the obstacles facing training in general.

Baderin further briefed Dosa about the program prepared for Sudan in his current tenure in accordance with the decision issued by the Human Rights Council (HRC), which stipulates the provision of technical assistance to Sudan in developing the human rights field according to item 10.

Dosa said Sudan had made considerable progress in implementing the recommendations made by the advisory council, the national committee and national human rights organisations in Sudan.

The minister asserted Sudan’s preparedness to cooperate with all international human rights mechanisms, as well as the African Union and Sudanese non-governmental organisations, expressing hopes the expert would clearly sustain the provision of technical support and capacity building as identified by the HRC in Geneva.

In turn, Dosa also asked the independent expert to clarify the commitments he has met himself over the past two years of his tenure, particularly since Sudan, he said, had fulfilled all of its obligations in the promotion of human rights through national mechanisms.

Human rights organisation Freedom House puts Sudan as one of the wost abusers of human rights in the world.

(ST)