The mission was scheduled to travel to Sudan last Tuesday 13 Feb 07. The Government of Sudan decided to bar the mission from visiting Darfur and announced publicly its refusal to grant visas to the members of the mission, contradicting past agreements between the U.N. Human Rights Council and the Sudanese government.
« For a proper assessment of the ongoing human rights violations, it is essential that the Sudanese Government allow the mission to enter the country » said Mr. Sidiki Kaba, President of FIDH, « Sudanese officials’ refusal to cooperate with the high level mission is extremely regretful. It is a blow to the Human Rights Council and to the UN’s intervention. Members of the Human Rights Council should react accordingly».
U.N. Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, further stated that President Bashir of Sudan had guaranteed visas for the fact-finding mission during the African Union Summit held last month in Addis Ababa. Mr. Ban had urged Sudanese officials to cooperate with the Human Rights Council, and after events unfolded last week he declared, « I am very much disappointed by the decision of the Sudanese government ».
Over three years, it is estimated that 200,000 people were killed, 2.5 million were driven out from their homes in Darfur, hundreds of women and girls were systematically raped. A situation that prompted the establishment of a High-Level Mission by the Human Rights Council (S-4/101) on the 12-13th of December 2006, during its 4th Special Session. The Sudanese government had previously agreed to cooperate with the investigation, and allow the six-member U.N. delegation to conduct their work without interference.
The FIDH and SOAT consider that any debate or decision put forward at the next session of the Human Rights Council in March 2007 would have shallow meaning if the mission is denied access to Sudan. FIDH and SOAT urge the Sudanese government to allow the mission unconditional access into Darfur without further delay.