Members of the Peace and Security Council
African Union
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
November 24, 2006
Your Excellencies:
Human Rights Watch welcomes the efforts of the African Union’s Peace and Security Council (PSC) in seeking a peaceful solution to the human rights crisis in Darfur, Sudan.
However, Human Rights Watch remains extremely alarmed about the situation in Darfur and in eastern Chad given the recent increase in hostilities between the government of Sudan and non-signatory rebel groups in Darfur. The volatility of the Sudan-Chad border, the escalation in militia attacks on civilians in both countries, and the increasing insecurity for humanitarian aid workers in the region are also grave causes for concern.
Despite diplomatic efforts, the situation is clearly deteriorating and renewed and stronger attention is urgently needed to protect civilians and end human rights abuses in Darfur and Chad. In view of the recent discussion of a hybrid UN-AU force for Darfur in Addis Ababa on November 16, and the Peace and Security Council’s upcoming meeting on November 29, we take this opportunity to raise some of our concerns.
As described below, Human Rights Watch urges the African Union Peace and Security Council to condemn the Sudanese government’s indiscriminate attacks on civilians and other war crimes, ensure that any strengthened international protection force has the requisite mandate and capacity to provide effective protection to civilians in Darfur and along the Chad-Sudan border, and call on both the Sudanese and Chadian governments to immediately accept such international deployment.
The Crisis in Darfur
As you know, since February 2003, at least 200,000 Darfurians have died as the result of the armed conflict between the government of Sudan and armed rebel groups in Darfur. The government’s counter-insurgency operations have been characterized by war crimes, crimes against humanity, and “ethnic cleansing.” Four million people—more than half of Darfur’s population—now depend on some form of international food relief. Widespread killings, rapes, and attacks by Sudanese government forces and “Janjaweed” militias have forced two million people into camps. Even these camps are not safe, and the killings and rapes continue unabated.
Civilian access to humanitarian assistance is at its lowest point since 2003-04. With 13 humanitarian aid workers killed in Darfur since May this year, and much of the region too dangerous for overland travel due to continuing attacks on humanitarian staff and convoys, humanitarian agencies are unable to reach hundreds of thousands of people in need across Darfur.
The current situation in Darfur requires urgent action. In the first week of November alone, Human Rights Watch documented the Sudanese government’s indiscriminate aerial bombardment of civilians in Sudanese and Chadian villages on both sides of the border and of water points in Darfur that are essential for the survival of displaced civilians and their livestock. Our researchers photographed the sites in Chad and collected substantial eyewitness testimony of these attacks.
Deadly militia attacks by groups with known links to the Sudanese government are increasing, including but not limited to the recent attacks on Jebel Mun and Sirba, West Darfur, which were investigated by the African Union force in Darfur. The killings of children, including at least 26 who died in Jebel Mun, and the systematic looting of livestock are blatant evidence that civilians and their property continue to be targeted in violation of international humanitarian law.
Numerous international observers have noted a militia buildup in Tine, Geneina and other key Chad-Sudan border towns. Those factions of the Darfur rebel movements that did not sign the May 2005 Darfur Peace Agreement are participating in hostilities and thus undermining the ceasefire. Human Rights Watch is most alarmed about the impact of hostilities on civilians due to the Sudanese government’s return to its strategy of arming and deploying ethnic militias and using its aircraft in indiscriminate attacks in a manner that is reminiscent of its military campaign in 2003-04, which resulted in thousands of civilian deaths.
Deterioration in eastern Chad and the volatile border zone
Eastern Chad is suffering from the Darfur crisis across the porous border, and the border zone is now home to numerous armed groups. Both the Sudanese and Chadian governments continue to support insurgencies aimed at their opponents in N’djamena and Khartoum, to the detriment of civilians in the region and in violation of the Tripoli agreement signed on February 8, 2006, and the UN arms embargo established under UN Security Council resolution 1591. This cycle of Chadian and Sudanese proxy war can only bring further suffering to the civilians of western Darfur and eastern Chad.
Political and military incursions into eastern Chad by both Darfur rebels and Sudanese government-backed militias from Darfur are also exacerbating latent ethnic tensions among Chadian communities. Human Rights Watch research over the past year has documented growing abuses and clashes in different parts of eastern Chad, many of which are linked to an increasing ethnic and political polarization of Chadian communities affected by the presence and proximity of the Darfur conflict.
Most recently, Chadian communities of Arab nomads and various non-Arab ethnic groups such as the Dajo and Muro, in southeastern Chad, have become caught up in an ever-increasing spiral of inter-communal violence that, while catalyzed by local incidents, has not taken place in a vacuum. Many of the perpetrators on both sides have described mutual hostility and suspicion reminiscent of ethnic groups in Darfur, and attacks have been accompanied by accusations of links to either the Darfur rebels or the Arab “Janjaweed” militias respectively.
The government of Chad clearly bears responsibility for exacerbating the Darfur crisis, largely through supporting or tolerating the presence of Darfur rebel groups in eastern Chad. Human Rights Watch has documented abuses by the Darfur rebels, including the forced recruitment and mistreatment of children living in the refugee camps. The continuing Sudanese government policy of arming and supporting ethnic militias and Chadian rebel groups in Darfur has also heavily contributed to this escalating disaster.
The human rights crisis in Darfur and eastern Chad is worsening by the day and civilians are in need of urgent protection. We welcome the decision adopted by the 63rd Peace and Security Council Meeting of the AU held in New York on September 20 to extend the AMIS operation in Darfur through December 31, 2006. Human Rights Watch is also encouraged by the fact that the international community appears to have united behind recent efforts at the meeting in Addis Ababa on November 16 to conclude negotiations on a strengthened international deployment in Darfur.
The Need for a Strengthened International Protection Force
Human Rights Watch is concerned that the current proposal for a hybrid AU-UN force, as outlined in the conclusions of the Addis Ababa meeting of November 16, does not meet the needs of Darfur’s people, or neighboring Chadians, for a robust international protection force that can ensure civilian safety, deter further attacks and actively monitor the volatile border. We are also concerned that the Sudanese government will continue to delay and weaken any further international deployment in the region, particularly in view of its continuing and escalating offensive in Darfur.
The scenario of yet more deterioration in the security environment and an insufficient international deployment in Darfur and along the Chadian border can only bring further misery and death for Darfurian and Chadian civilians, plus increasing risks to regional stability. It is essential that key international stakeholders, including Egypt, Libya and other members of the African Union, as well as other concerned governments unite behind efforts to protect the people of Darfur and Chad and apply pressure upon the governments of Sudan and Chad to support international deployment in Darfur and along the Chadian border as envisioned in UN Security Council resolution 1706.
Human Right Watch urges members of the AU Peace and Security Council to consider the following recommendations and include them in the conclusions of the AU Peace and Security Council meeting on November 29:
- Call on the government of Sudan to cease offensive military flights, as outlined in UN Security Council Resolution 1591 (and defined in the UN Panel of Experts report of October 2006) and end its support (mainly funding and arms) to the “Janjaweed” militias and other paramilitary groups.
- Demand immediate Sudanese government consent to a strengthened international force in Darfur and along the border with Chad to deter further attacks on civilians, monitor the existing UN arms embargo and help implement the Tripoli Agreement of February 2006 between Sudan and Chad.
- Request that the AMIS force and any strengthened international force monitor the government of Sudan’s commitment to cease further support for ethnic militias, whether they operate as auxiliaries or as paramilitary units and to disarm and disband the Janjaweed militias and apprehend and bring to justice Janjaweed leaders and members responsible for human rights abuses and war crimes as stipulated under UN Security Council Resolution 1554 (2004) paragraphs 6 & 7.
- Accept international support and extend the mandate of the existing African Union force in Darfur until a strengthened international force is in place, calling specifically for international support in the deployment of additional personnel, equipment, logistical support, and other resources from national and multilateral forces, including attack helicopters to enhance AMIS’ capacity to protect civilians.
- Ensure that any strengthened international force includes the following elements at a minimum:
- A mandate authorized under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, including the use of all necessary means to protect civilians and humanitarian personnel;
- Sufficient troops and military capacity to deploy in rural areas and protect civilian movement, secure key roads for civilian and humanitarian transport and monitor the UN arms embargo, particularly along the Chad border;
- Rapid reaction capacity, including sufficient aerial support, to deter and respond to incidents of violence against civilians;
- Support the application of targeted UN sanctions including travel bans and asset freezes (as authorized under UN Security Council Resolution 1591 of March 29, 2005) on senior Sudanese government officials should they continue to fail to consent to the deployment of a stronger international force in Darfur. Support sanctions on those individuals or groups responsible for human rights abuses or violations of the May 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement;
- Support the expansion of the arms embargo provided for by UN Security Council Resolution 1591 to cover all of Sudan, not just Darfur, and the establishment of a nationwide mechanism for monitoring and enforcement.
- Call on the government of Chad to cease support for abusive Darfur rebel groups and consent to a strengthened international force in Darfur and along the border with Chad to deter further attacks on civilians, monitor the existing UN arms embargo and help implement the Tripoli Agreement of February 2006 between Sudan and Chad.
Human Rights Watch commends the Peace and Security Council for the measures taken so far to alleviate the humanitarian and human rights crisis in Darfur. At the same time, we urge you to implement the above recommendations which we offer in the hope that they will contribute to both short- and long-term improvements in the security and protection of civilians in Darfur, Chad and the region.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Takirambudde
Executive Director, Africa Division
Human Rights Watch
Cc:
President Omar El-Bashir
President Idriss Deby
Mr Said Djinnit, Chair, Peace and Security Council
H.E. Alpha Konare, Chair, AU Commission
President Muammar Abu Minyar Al-Qadhafi
