Sudan governor accuses Darfur rebels of rape and pillage

KHARTOUM, Dec 5 (AFP) — A top official in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region accused rebels of attacking villages and raping women in what he said was a new violation of a fragile ceasefire, a newspaper reported Sunday.

A Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) rebel is seen in the desert west of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, November 8, 2004.

“Rebels assaulted, tortured and raped a group of women” in the town of Koma, north of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, the state’s governor Osman Yusuf Kibir was quoted by independent Akhbar Al Youm as saying.

Kibir said another group from the rebel Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) also Saturday raided the village of Um Jer Abdu in the eastern part of North Darfur, stealing property owned by local residents including a car.

He said the attacks were “a flagrant violation and disrespect by the rebel movements for the ceasefire and other agreements”.

Hostilities have flared in Darfur in recent weeks, with the government and rebels both refusing to take responsibility for violations of a ceasefire that was signed in April 2004.

Kibir’s claims come shortly after the publication of a UN report which said government-backed militia in Darfur are raping women refugees with impunity.

The Darfur conflict erupted in February 2003, when rebels rose up to demand an end to the marginalisation of their region by Khartoum as well as a bigger share of Sudan’s riches.

Khartoum, aided by a proxy Arab militia, the Janjaweed, cracked down on the rebels and their perceived supporters, creating what the UN has described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

More than 70,000 people have been killed or have died from hunger and disease in the area, according to the UN, and another 1.5 million have been displaced.