Your Excellencies,
On the eve of the meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Darfur, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organisation, the Sudan Organisation Against Torture (SOAT) call upon you to reject the Government of Sudan’s proposal to deploy its own troops to Darfur and to adopt a resolution for the immediate deployment of an international peacekeeping mission under Chapter VII of the UN Charter with a strong mandate for the protection of civilians.
The president of Sudan has recently asked you for more time to allow him to bring peace to Darfur, effectively delaying the deployment of a UN peacekeeping operation in Darfur, which would allegedly face strong opposition from the local population. After three years of conflict which has led to 300,000 deaths and the displacement of 2.5 million Darfurians, it is clear that Sudan is unwilling and unable to protect the people of Darfur.
Our organisations would like to remind you that the Janjawid have been supported and armed by the Sudanese authorities, that Sudan has failed to implement your resolutions and the different ceasefire agreements calling it to disarm the militias and to guarantee the protection of civilians, that the government has no political will to arrest and judge the presumed perpetrators of serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
In spite of the signature of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) on 5 May 2006, the situation is deteriorating in Darfur and the different parties including the Janjawid militia backed up by the Sudanese authorities continue to kill and rape with total impunity and in violation of international humanitarian law. Humanitarian workers and AMIS soldiers are being attacked and killed, the conflict has now extended to Chad and Central African Republic. In addition, according to a recent UN report, rebel groups including the Sudan Liberation Army and opposition Chadian forces, Janjawid and Sudanese armed forces are recruiting boys under the age of 18 to serve in their ranks.
We are also seriously concerned that the AMIS mandate which is due to expire on 30 September 2006 will leave a security vacuum leaving the population of Darfur vulnerable. It is therefore of the utmost importance that the AMIS mandate be renewed and strenghtened until an effective UN international peacekeeping mission is deployed.
Until significant pressure is imposed, Khartoum will not have the incentive to bring peace in Darfur.
FIDH and SOAT are therefore calling upon you to :
– urge all the parties to the conflict to put an end to the violations of human rights and international humanitarian law against civilians and to respect the ceasefire agreements and the DPA
– reject the Government of Sudan’s proposal to deploy its own troops in Darfur,
– increase your efforts and take all diplomatic measures to secure Sudan’s consent to a UN mission in Darfur under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and with a strong mandate for the protection of civilians,
– requests, in the meantime, the AU Peace and Security Council to renew and strenghten the mandate of AMIS until the deployment of an international peacekeeping mission,
– oblige the Government of Sudan to re-engage in a political dialogue with the non signatories of the DPA,
– urge Sudan to hold accountable perpretators of international crimes and serious violations of human rights,
– fully cooperate with the ICC organs in accordance with UNSC resolution 1593 referring the Darfur situation to the ICC,
– continue the work of UNMIS, particularly its efforts in monitoring human rights violations in Darfur.
Yours sincerely
Sidiki Kaba
President of FIDH
Osman Hummaida
President of SOAT