Darfur: The Time to Act is Now

SOAT

SOAT calls on the United Nations Security Council to speedily endorse the recommendations embodied in the International Commission of Inquiry report on Darfur, submitted to the UN Secretary-General on 25 January 2005, and to immediately act on its findings. Member states to the Security Council must refer the situation in Darfur to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and support a comprehensive reform of the judiciary in Sudan to ensure an end to the cycle of impunity. SOAT notes the commission findings on “killing of civilians, enforced disappearances, destruction of villages, rape and other forms of sexual violence, pillaging and forced displacement, throughout Darfur” and that some individuals may have acted with “genocidal intent.”

The ICC and independent national courts must together play the central role in bringing perpetrators of crimes against humanity and war crimes to justice. The reform of the national judicial system in Sudan, which has so far proven ‘unable and unwilling to address the situation in Darfur’, will be an essential pre-condition for bringing the perpetrators of the crimes in Darfur to justice.

SOAT appeals to the government of Sudan and to the rebel forces to fully cooperate with all prosecutions and to allow those responsible for the gross violations of human rights in Darfur to be brought to justice and to ensure accountability and to cooperate fully with the establishment of local mechanisms for ensuring justice.

SOAT urges the international community to support traditional mechanisms of reconciliation between ethnic groups in Darfur. These traditional methods are a powerful channel of communication among the people of Darfur, and their adoption as part of the justice process will contribute to the restoration of a viable multi ethnic society in the Darfur region. The effectiveness of tribal conflict resolution mechanisms will depend on the extent to which they are perceived as legitimate and representative by the various segments of the Darfur population.

The international community and the government of Sudan must support education and rehabilitation programmes to promote social cohesion, and lay the groundwork for the reintegration of ex-combatants within the wider community. It should be noted that the majority of the members of the Janjaweed militias themselves belong to tribes indigenous to Darfur, as do the rebel forces. Addressing the political factors which gave rise to hostilities is vital for sustainable peace. SOAT therefore considers that a political solution to the crisis is essential.

SOAT supports the call for the establishment of a truth and reconciliation commission, which will be essential to restoring trust and fostering forgiveness in Darfur. Nonetheless, while such a commission is crucial for the establishment of lasting peace, it cannot be a substitute to the process of law and accountability for the grave crimes committed in Darfur.

SOAT is critically concerned for the protection of civilians in Darfur and considers that ongoing attacks against civilians in the region necessitates the rapid deployment and expansion of the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) throughout the region, not only in the major towns of Darfur but in all areas, including rural localities, where civilians are in need of protection

SOAT London 16/02/05

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