UN human rights panel completes tour of Darfur

NEW YORK, Sep 25, 2004 (PANA) — Two senior UN human rights officials
examining how to protect the civilians of Sudan’s strife-torn
Darfur region from further militia attacks have completed their
weeklong mission to the region.

They have returned to Khartoum for talks with government
officials and other UN staff.

High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour [photo] and the
Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on the Prevention of
Genocide, Juan Méndez will discuss the latest situation in Darfur
with the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Sudan Jan
Pronk and senior Sudanese officials, UN spokesman Fred Eckhard
told reporters Friday.

Arbour and Méndez are slated to brief the press before heading
back to Geneva on Sunday, Eckhard added.

Arbour and Pronk will then travel to UN Headquarters in New York
next week to discuss the issues with Secretary-General Kofi
Annan.

Annan dispatched the two human rights officials to investigate
the continuing crisis in Darfur and recommend how the Janjaweed
militias can better protect civilians from further attacks.

The Janjaweed stand accused of conducting brutal attacks, killing
and raping villagers, poisoning wells and destroying homes and
cropland.

About 1.45 million people are internally displaced and another
200,000 live as refugees in neighbouring Chad because of the
Janjaweed attacks and fighting between Sudanese Government forces
and two rebel groups.

Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ruud
Lubbers, has arrived in the Chadian capital N’djamena on a five-
day mission to Chad and Sudan to see firsthand what the UN
refugee agency is doing to assist the massive displaced
population.

Lubbers was slated to meet Chadian President Idriss Deby, senior
government officials and staff from UNHCR and aid agencies before
heading on to Abeche in eastern Chad to begin his inspections.