Both sides responsible for violence in Sudan’s Darfur – UK Minister

LONDON, Dec 14, 2004 (AP) — Pro-government and rebel forces are both responsible for the violence wracking Sudan ‘s Darfur region, a U.K. government minister said Tuesday.

Foreign Office Minister Chris Mullin said news reports often gave the impression that “there is only one party, the government of Sudan , involved.”

“There are actually two parties and according to U.N. special representative Jan Pronk, in the last two months at least, the rebel forces have been responsible for a greater number of violations than the government side,” Mullin told lawmakers in the House of Commons.

Two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Army and the Justice and Equality Movement, are fighting government troops in a bid for more power and resources.

The Sudanese government responded by backing an Arab militia known as the Janjaweed, which is accused of targeting civilians in a campaign of murder, rape and arson.

“It is important for people to bear in mind that there are two sides in this dispute,” Mullin said. “It is a very complicated one and both of them are behaving badly.”

Mullin said the U.K. was pushing for the deployment of African Union peacekeepers to the region as a prerequisite to a cease-fire.