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Regional Overview. Africa • Americas • Asia-Pacific Europe and Central Asia • Middle East and North Africa View full country list. |
Key Issues. Arms Control. International Justice. Displaced People. Stop Violence Against Women. Death Penalty. |
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Africa : Sudan
REPUBLIC OF SUDAN |
Archive information Sudan: Who will answer for the crimes? (AI Index: AFR 54/006/2005) Open letter to the President of Nigeria as Chairman of the African Union regarding Sudan referral to the ICC (AI Index: IOR 63/001/2005) Open letter to the members of the United Nations Security Council: The situation in the Sudan (AI Index: AFR 54/024/2005) Sudan: Amnesty International’s recommendations on the deployment of a United Nations peace support operation (AI Index: AFR 54/025/2005) Sudan: Recommendations to donors funding Sudan (AI Index: AFR 54/036/2005) Sudan: Political repression in Eastern Sudan (AI Index: AFR 54/051/2005) Sudan: Memorandum to the National Constitutional Review Commission (AI Index: AFR 54/049/2005) Sudan: List of political detainees (AI Index: AFR 54/062/2005) |
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Grave abuses of human rights by government forces, government-allied militias and armed political groups continued in Darfur, western Sudan. Both government-allied forces and, at times, armed political groups attacked humanitarian workers and other civilians. Suspected sympathizers of armed political groups in Darfur were arbitrarily detained, as were human rights activists and members of political groups throughout northern Sudan. The new Government of National Unity, formed in July following a comprehensive peace agreement in January, lifted the state of emergency, in force since 1989, except in eastern Sudan and Darfur. A new Interim Constitution, in effect from July, incorporated many positive human rights provisions but retained the death penalty, including for minors, and failed to remove immunity from prosecution for senior officials responsible for war crimes or crimes against humanity. Hundreds of political prisoners continued to be held arbitrarily in Khartoum. Arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detention, torture and restrictions on freedom of expression persisted, aimed in particular at human rights defenders, student activists and internally displaced people in and around Khartoum. Background There was continuing conflict in Darfur. The government agreed a Declaration of Principles to resolve the conflict with two armed political groups in July, but the ceasefire was widely breached and a lasting settlement remained remote. African Union (AU) forces deployed in the region were still not at full strength. The International Criminal Court (ICC), based on a referral by the UN Security Council, began to investigate the situation in Darfur, but by the end of 2005 had not been granted access to Sudan. Sudan established a national court for conflict-related crimes in Darfur, claiming this would obviate the need for the ICC. However, the authorities failed to investigate or prosecute more than a few of those suspected of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur. The AU did not enter into a co-operation agreement with the ICC, and the Security Council did not take any further action to implement Resolution 1593 (see below). A Comprehensive Peace Agreement, ending decades of civil war between the north and south, was signed on 9 January. The peace held, although certain southern militias excluded from the peace agreement continued to fight. The presence of the Ugandan armed political group the Lord’s Resistance Army increased in south Sudan, as did the number of attacks it mounted against civilians and, occasionally, humanitarian workers. More than three million internally displaced people (IDPs) and half a million refugees were expected to return to the south. On 24 March the UN Security Council established the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), with the task of supporting the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and providing support to the AU mission in Darfur. The death in late July of John Garang de Mabior, head of the government of South Sudan and first Vice-President in the new Government of National Unity, resulted in widespread rioting in Khartoum and Juba. He was succeeded by Salva Kiir. As many as 130 people died in the violence and over 1,500 people were arrested in Khartoum. In the east, where unrest continued to simmer, two armed political groups, the Beja Congress and the Free Lions, merged in February to form the Eastern Front. Darfur War crimes and crimes against humanity continued to be committed by the government and government-aligned nomadic militias known as the Janjawid. War crimes were also committed by armed political groups opposed to the government. Civilians were killed and injured by government troops, who sometimes bombed villages from the air, by Janjawid militias and in attacks by armed political groups. Women and girls continued to be sexually assaulted and abducted by government-aligned militias and, occasionally, government forces. After a major government offensive in January, violence declined until April, then stabilized before rising again in late August. Government human rights violations against human rights activists continued. Abuses by armed political groups increased as their command structures broke down as a result of growing factionalism and in-fighting. Such groups also increasingly harassed humanitarian workers. Peacekeeping troops of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS) suffered attacks, including kidnappings, by government-backed militias and some factions of the armed political groups.
More than 1.8 million people remained forcibly displaced internally, and 220,000 refugees were still in Chad. IDPs travelled from rural areas to settlements around towns and villages in Darfur fleeing attacks. Even within IDP camps, security was jeopardized by Janjawid militias and government forces.
A UN-appointed commission of inquiry reported in January that crimes against humanity and war crimes had been committed in Darfur by government and government-aligned militia, and that the Sudanese justice system was unable and unwilling to address the situation. On 31 March the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1593, referring the situation in Darfur to the ICC. The resolution required Sudan and all other parties to the conflict to co-operate with the court. However, as a result of US pressure, a provision was inserted in the resolution to exempt nationals of states not party to the Rome Statute of the ICC (other than Sudan) from the jurisdiction of the ICC. The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights did not make public the report of its July 2004 mission to Sudan, apparently because it was waiting for the Sudanese government to respond, despite the government’s previous failure to co-operate on this issue. Arbitrary arrests, torture and use of force Freedom of expression continued to be repressed, with widespread arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detention and torture. Prominent among the victims were political activists, human rights defenders, student leaders and IDPs in and around Khartoum. Members of the political opposition
Human rights defenders and their organizations continued to face harassment and repression.
Many student activists were arrested and beaten by police and other security forces. At least one was shot dead by police.
Newspapers continued to be heavily censored, particularly in relation to Darfur. The news media were instructed not to comment on UN Security Council Resolution 1593. Several newspapers were suspended temporarily or permanently after publishing articles considered critical of the authorities. Journalists were harassed.
The government forcibly relocated large numbers of IDPs living in and around Khartoum. Many had fled conflict and extreme deprivation in the south and Darfur; others were from marginalized communities throughout Sudan. The involuntary relocations sometimes led to violent clashes and mass arrests. Despite promises in July by the Governor of Khartoum State to consult with donors and UN agencies before relocating camps, settlements and groups of people, forcible relocation without warning continued.
Civilians were killed by the security forces following protests in eastern Sudan about underdevelopment and marginalization of the region.
AI delegates visited southern Sudan in October. Back to Top E-mail this page Printer friendly |