Sudan permits Amnesty International team into Darfur

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 13, 2004 (PANA) — The Sudanese government has granted permission to a team from the human rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI) to visit the war-scarred Darfur region, the group said in a statement issued here Monday.

The team led by AI’s Secretary-General Irene Khan will visit the
region from Tuesday to investigate reports of massive human
rights violations.

The London-based rights group, armed with a support team of
researchers drawn from South Africa, the United States and its
international staffers based in London, will hold talks with
victims of the 18-month-long fighting.

It will also meet representatives of international groups and
NGOs in Darfur before cross-checking its findings with top
government officials in Sudan, the statement indicted.

Khan will lead the team comprising William Schulz, AI director in
the US, Samkelo Mokhine, AI president in South Africa and Erwin
Van der Borght, deputy programme director for Africa.

Researchers Elizabeth Hodgkin, Lamri Chirouf and External
relations Advisor Judith Arenas and Selina Nelte, an audio-visual
research expert will also be with the mission, which will last
about seven days.

The delegation will visit Khartoum and three Darfur State
capitals of al-Jeneina, Nyala and al-Fasher to investigate the
extent of human rights abuses, rapes and human displacements.

Khartoum is accused of arming the Arab militias known as the
Janjaweed who allegedly kill civilians, rape the women and bomb
villages.

But the Sudanese government has repeatedly denied any ties with
the militia Janjaweed.

Amnesty says 200,000 people have been forced to seek refugee in
neighbouring states, while an estimated 30,000 others have died
as a result of the fighting.