Top UN envoy says strong indication of war crimes in Darfur

By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 3, 2004 (AP) — The top U.N. envoy to Sudan said Wednesday there are strong indications that war crimes have been committed “on a large and systematic scale” in the Darfur region, where violence is getting worse.

A displaced Sudanese woman carries water October 31, 2004 at the Abushouk camp near El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province.

In a report to the U.N. Security Council, Jan Pronk accused the Sudanese government of failing to bring the perpetrators of widespread killings, rapes, looting and village burnings to justice.

Until the government starts taking more than “pinprick” action, he said, no displaced person will dare return home and no group will agree to disarm.

“Without an end to impunity … banditry goes from strength to strength, menacing the population and obstructing the delivery of aid to desperate people in isolated areas,” Pronk said.

An international commission appointed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan began work on Oct. 25 and has three months to study human rights violations and determine whether or not a genocide occurred in Darfur.

“There are strong indications that war crimes and crimes against humanity have occurred in Darfur on a large and systematic scale,” Pronk said. “This has been confirmed by a number of senior U.N. human rights experts who have visited the region.”

He said there were reports that armed men dug up a grave containing 40 bodies in Souba, North Darfur and have been seen working on another site in an apparent attempt to hide evidence of mass killings.

During October, Pronk said, security conditions in Darfur deteriorated, ceasefire violations increased on both sides, violence escalated and towards the end of the month, the threat of large scale attacks increased considerably.

The estimate of people in Darfur affected by the conflict rose from 1.8 million on Sept. 1 to 2 million on Oct. 1, an upward trend expected to continue until the end of the year, he said.

The increase stems mainly from the growing number of internally displaced people, now 1.6 million, reflecting “the severity of the protection and security situation in Darfur,” Pronk said. “A further 400,000 people are currently assessed to be affected by the conflict and in need of humanitarian assistance.”

The U.N. envoy noted that the 2 million figure is a 100 percent increase in the number of people needing humanitarian assistance since April. Donors have funded 75 percent of the money needed for Darfur this year — US$397 million (A?310 million) of US$534 million (A?418 million) — and he appealed for the rest.

The violence in Darfur began in January 2003 when two black African rebel groups took up arms over alleged unjust treatment by the Sudanese government and ethnic Arab countrymen. Pro-government militias called Janjaweed reacted by unleashing attacks on villages.

The conflict, which has killed at least 70,000 people, has created what U.N. officials say is the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today.

The U.N. envoy, who is scheduled to report to the Security Council Thursday, called on all countries with influence on Sudan and rebels in Darfur as well as in the south to exert pressure on them to achieve peace.

The Sudanese government and southern rebels are negotiating in Kenya on implementing a deal to end a 21-year civil war.

Saying the talks were proceeding well, Pronk expressed hope that a final agreement can be reached by the end of the year and said it “can serve as a model for Darfur.”

He called for the government and rebels from Darfur now meeting in Nigeria to quickly start political negotiations, “which would enable them to reach agreement on all other outstanding issues.”

The Security Council will be holding a rare meeting in Nairobi on Nov. 18-19 to focus on the two Sudan conflicts. Pronk said members should consider how to get both sides in Darfur to comply with council resolutions demanding an end to the violence, disarmament of combatants, and punishment of those responsible.