Sudan rejects human rights report on Darfur
KHARTOUM, July 20 (AFP) — The Sudanese government slammed a report by Human Rights Watch over the strife-torn western region of Darfur and accused the organisation of attempting to provoke the UN Security Council into imposing sanctions against the country.
Human Rights Watch charged in a report issued on Monday that Sudanese government officials are directly involved in recruiting, arming and other support to the Janjaweed militia that terrorize the black population of Darfur.
“It is nothing new of this organisation to take up this role that raises suspicion,” Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail told journalists, referring to the US-based watchdog.
“The suspicion in the aims of the organisation is particularly raised by the timing it has chosen for releasing its report,” Ismail said, adding that HRW intended to pressure the UN Security Council into adopting a resolution imposing sanctions against Sudan.
“We usually pursue an open-door policy but this does not imply that we always adopt a soft policy,” the minister warned without further elaborating.
The Darfur region is in the throes of what the United Nations has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with a major famine looming and humanitarian relief operations hampered by rains.
More than 10,000 people have been killed in Darfur since rebel groups rose up in February 2003, prompting a heavy-handed response from Sudanese forces and government-sponsored Arab militia.
Citing Sudanese government documents, the Human Rights Watch called for an immediate, strongly worded UN resolution that sanctions Khartoum and government officials responsible for crimes against humanity.
It said the confidential documents in its possession implicate high-ranking government officials in a policy of militia support.
“It’s absurd to distinguish between the Sudanese government forces and the militias — they are one,” said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of Human Rights Watch’s Africa Division. “These documents show that militia activity has not just been condoned, it’s been specifically supported by Sudan government officials.”
Ismail rejected the report as “lies” and said the documents used to back its assertions are “100 percent false”.
He said he was planning to telephone UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and explain to him Khartoum’s viewpoint on the developments in Sudan.
The foreign minister said he told US Secretary of State Colin Powell during a telephone conversation on Monday that the Khartoum government is “addressing the situation in Darfur”, despite moves being planned by the United States and other powers which he said “have given negative signals to the (Darfur) rebels.”
Those signals have led to the collapse of the recent talks in Addis Ababa between the government and the rebels, said Ismail, arguing that the rebels, counting on pressure by the US and other powers, “were not enthusiastic about reaching a peace agreement.”
He said he had told Powell that continued pressures “will only aggravate problems and will obstruct the peace process in Sudan.”
The foreign minister said he would meet with his French counterpart Michel Barnier during an official visit to France on Wednesday.
He said the visit is important as France is a permanent Security Council member and has a considerable influence on the Council’s resolutions.