July 23 2004

The US Congress unanimously passed a resolution yesterday declaring that genocide is occurring in the Darfur region of western Sudan.

The resolution was introduced a month ago by New Jersey Democrat Congressman Donald Payne, and was passed by a vote of 422 to zero. It urges the US Administration to 'call the atrocities by their rightful name: genocide' and to lead an international effort to prevent it. It also calls on the Administration to intervene unilaterally 'to prevent genocide should the United Nations Security Council fail to act'. The resolution demands the imposition of targeted sanctions 'including visa bans and the freezing of assets of the [Sudanese regime] and affiliated businesses and individuals' directly responsible for atrocities in Darfur and appeals for USAID to assist refugees to resettle and rebuild their communities.

The US resolution could add to pressure on the United Nations to take more decisive action to end the violence in Darfur. The UN Security Council is currently considering a US-sponsored resolution that threatens sanctions against Sudan if it does not prosecute such Janjawid leaders as Musa Hilal who are deemed responsible for atrocities in Darfur. However, action on Sudan could be made difficult by the vested interests of several members of the Security Council. China has extensive oil interests in Sudan. Pakistan, acting out of solidarity with a fellow Muslim government, is requesting that the Sudanese be given more time. Finally, as well as having oil investments in the country, Russia is a major arms supplier to Sudan and recently fulfilled a contract estimated at $200million for 12 Mig-29 Fulcrum fighter aircraft ahead of schedule.

Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of CSW said: "CSW welcomes the strong response of the US Congress to the crisis in Darfur. We hope this will serve to underline the urgent need for effective international action to pressurise the Sudanese government to end the attacks on its African civilians, and will contribute towards bringing a swift conclusion to the ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity which are currently underway in Darfur."

30,000 people are estimated to have been killed since February 2003 when two rebellions broke out in Darfur in protest at the area's marginalisation by the government. In addition, 800,000 to 1 million people have been displaced internally, and at least 110,000 Darfurians have fled to Chad. Government forces and allied Arab militias, known as Janjawid, have responded to the rebellions with a campaign of ethnic cleansing against African tribes. This has targeted civilians and has been characterised amongst other things by large scale looting, the destruction of villages, summary executions, systematic rape and forcible displacement.

The government of Sudan denies responsibility for the actions of these militias, but evidence has emerged that Sudan's first vice-president Mohammed Taha may have facilitated the release of the most notorious Janjawid leader, Musa Hilal, a convicted murderer who was serving time for armed robbery. The Sudanese airforce has bombed civilians in Darfur. In its latest news release, the Sudanese Organisation Against Torture states that at least 475 civilians were killed and 160 wounded between July 1 and 3 when the Sudanese airforce provided air cover for the Janjawid as they destroyed 34 villages belonging to Birgid and Mema tribes in eastern Nyala province, Southern Darfur State.

The Sudanese government has also been obstructing the delivery of aid and the granting of visas to humanitarian workers. This has occurred despite warnings that at least 100,000 people are now at risk of dying of starvation.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Recently the NGO Human Rights Watch revealed that Sudanese government documents had come into its possession that "incontrovertibly show that government officials directed recruitment, arming and other support to the ethnic militias". One document directs "all security units" to tolerate the activities of Janjawid leader Musa Hilal in North Darfur, highlighting "the importance of non-interference so as not to question their authority" and authorising security units in a North Darfur province to "overlook minor offenses by the fighters against civilians who are suspected members of the rebellion'."

In the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, genocide is defined as certain actions undertaken 'with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such'. These actions include 'killing members of the group', 'causing serious bodily and mental harm to members of the group' and 'deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.'

There has been much debate in the international circles as to whether events in Darfur constitute ethnic cleansing, genocide or war crimes. Recently UN Secretary General Kofi Annan caused consternation when he stated that he would stop short of describing the state of affairs in Darfur as genocide or ethnic cleansing but would instead describe it as 'a tragic humanitarian situation'. This contrasted with the statements of UN Under Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs, Jan Egland and Mukesh Kapila, the former UN humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, both of whom have used the term ethnic cleansing in connection with Darfur, and the UNHCHR, which has stated that crimes against humanity and war crimes have been committed in the area. Mukesh Kapila, went further by adding that these events were 'an organised attempt [by Khartoum] to do away with a group of people. The only difference between Rwanda and Darfur now is the numbers of dead, murdered, tortured and raped involved.'