Over the past few years, the Sudanese government has committed massive crimes in violation of international law against hundreds of thousands of people in Darfur. Conditions in Darfur are deteriorating, as Darfur residents continue to suffer grave human rights violations and the Darfur conflict spills over into neighboring Chad. Only prompt and decisive action by the U.N. Security Council can prevent the already unacceptable human rights conditions in Darfur from becoming worse and threatening the lives, homes, and security of tens of thousands of more people in Darfur and surrounding areas.
Only prompt and decisive action by the U.N. Security Council can prevent the already unacceptable human rights conditions in Darfur from becoming worse and threatening the lives, homes, and security of tens of thousands of more people in Darfur and surrounding areas. The Security Council must take up its responsibility to protect civilians in Darfur and eastern Chad from further crimes against humanity and war crimes.
In advance of the Security Council’s upcoming discussions on the situation in Darfur, Human Rights Watch urges the Security Council to take the following actions:
- Take all necessary measures, including passage of any relevant resolutions, to ensure the deployment of a U.N. force in Darfur on or before October 1, 2006 (following expiry of the mandate of African Union mission in Darfur on September 30, 2006);
- Immediately apply targeted sanctions to Sudanese government officials obstructing the deployment of the U.N. force and otherwise contributing to abuses of civilians;
- Extend the arms embargo in Darfur throughout Sudan; and
- Support the African Union’s efforts in Darfur to reach full operational capacity and to robustly interpret its mandate to protect civilians until transition.
Civilian Protection Needs in Darfur and eastern Chad
The scale of the human rights crisis in Darfur remains massive. More than 2 million Darfur residents, who have already lost their homes and, in many cases, family members at the hands of Sudanese government forces and government-supported Janjaweed militias, are unable to return home due to continuing attacks and are still confined to internally displaced camps. Despite African Union efforts, people residing in the camps continue to be terrorized by the government-backed militias and there are daily attacks on individuals, including incidents of murder, rape, and arbitrary detention.
Humanitarian aid workers have also come under increasing attack, as noted in the U.N. Secretary-General’s report of March 9, 2006. In this regard, the partial suspension of programs by U.N. agencies in West Darfur is an extremely worrying development which could have negative implications for many thousands of displaced civilians dependent on humanitarian agencies for essential assistance and the international presence that can, in some cases, deter attacks.
The Darfur conflict—and the impunity from prosecution enjoyed by members of the Sudanese government, its armed forces, and the Janjaweed militias—is increasingly affecting the stability of neighboring eastern Chad and the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of Chadian civilians and Darfur refugees residing there. Militias based in Darfur, some with Sudanese government support, are launching cross-border raids on villages in Chad, killing Chadian civilians, driving them from their homes, and stealing cattle along the border. Tens of thousands of people are now displaced internally within Chad by these attacks.
The proposed transition of the African Union into a U.N. force
Against this backdrop, the U.N. Security Council must urgently act on its primary responsibility to protect civilians, reverse the “ethnic cleansing” that has taken place in Darfur, and ensure that civilians in eastern Chad are protected.
Immediate action is needed to bolster the current African Union force and ensure a prompt transition to a larger, better-equipped and supported U.N. force. The African Union has extended its mission in Darfur through September 30, 2006, and Security Council members should support the African Union’s efforts to reach full operational capacity and proactively interpret their mandate in the coming months prior to the introduction of a U.N. force. Support for the African Union Mission in Sudan must, however, be accompanied by clear Security Council support for the U.N. transition. The Security Council should take all necessary measures, including passage of any relevant resolutions, to ensure the deployment of a UN force in Darfur on or before October 1, 2006 (following expiry of the African Union’s mandate in Darfur on September 30, 2006).
Human Rights Watch is encouraged by the U.N. Security Council presidential statement of February 2006 calling on the U.N. to immediately initiate such planning and by the African Union’s March 10 communiqué reiterating its agreement, in principle, to such a transition, and outlining its intent to work with the U.N. on planning to that end.
Despite these positive developments, the primary obstacle to improving the protection of civilians generally, and to introducing a stronger and better-equipped U.N. force, remains the Sudanese government. The Sudanese government is responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity on a massive scale in Darfur. To date it has failed to take any of the steps necessary to improve the security of its citizens in Darfur, including those demanded by the Security Council in resolutions 1556, 1564, 1591, and 1593. The Sudanese government has consistently reneged on its commitments to disarm the Janjaweed militias and refrain from offensive military overflights. It continues to target the civilian population by armed attacks and carry out arbitrary arrests and detentions. It has made no genuine effort to end the impunity of the Sudanese forces and militias or establish accountability.
Moreover, the Sudanese government is actively obstructing international efforts to improve protection of civilians and reverse the ethnic cleansing that has taken place in the region. Its assertion that the introduction of a U.N. force should be predicated on a peace agreement for Darfur should be squarely rejected by the Security Council. Such a condition, which could take months if not longer to fulfill, is a purely delaying and divisive tactic.
Sudan’s ongoing efforts to obstruct a transition of the AU Mission in Sudan into a U.N. operation is unsurprising given the responsibility of top Sudanese officials for the crimes in Darfur, but Security Council members must apply united and concerted pressure on the Sudanese government and overcome resistance to a U.N. force. The Sudanese government has never yet undertaken serious action benefiting civilians without intense, sustained, and unified international pressure. Its latest refusal to permit U.N. peacekeeping planners to even enter Sudan underlines the need for increased and sustained international pressure.
The Security Council must place civilian protection and the reversal of ethnic cleansing in Darfur squarely at the forefront of its agenda for Sudan. Security Council members should consider sending a delegation of members to Khartoum to meet with the Sudanese government and deliver the clear, unequivocal message that protection of civilians in Darfur is the highest priority and that further obstruction of efforts aimed at protecting civilians is unacceptable and will be met with serious measures, both bilaterally and multilaterally.
The Security Council should increase the pressure on the Sudanese government through the immediate application of the targeted sanctions established under resolution 1591 to senior government officials. The Security Council should also extend the arms embargo—currently limited to Darfur—throughout Sudan. Such actions by the Security Council would send a vital signal to both the Sudanese government and civilians in Darfur that it is united and committed to ending the human rights crimes in Darfur.
Sincerely,
Peter Takirambudde
Executive Director, Africa Division
