Outrage over Darfur killings
2005-12-21 21:03
Khartoum - The African Union expressed outrage on Wednesday over a raid by suspected pro-government militias on a village in Sudan's war-torn western region of Darfur that left nearly 20 people dead.
The attack, one of the worst in recent months, came as Sudanese government and rebel delegates met in the Nigerian capital Abuja for AU-sponsored negotiations aimed at ending the 34-month conflict in Darfur.
"The African Union special envoy for Darfur and chief mediator Dr Salim Ahmed Salim is utterly outraged by the attack on Abu Saruj village in West Darfur," said an AU statement.
The AU, also charged with monitoring a shaky cease-fire between government forces and rebel fighters in the region, added that militias raided the village on Monday, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction.
Janjaweed blamed for attack
It said Salim "unequivocally condemns the unwarranted brutal killings of numerous innocent civilians including women and children, and the destruction of their homes and property by armed militia".
The two main rebel groups in Darfur, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), issued a joint statement on Monday, blaming the attack on the notorious Janjaweed militias.
"It was a brutal massacre committed by the government militias (Janjaweed). It was terrorism and destruction," the SLM and JEM said. They added that 19 people were killed, including two women and two children. The statement claimed that the Janjaweed also burnt "more than 45 houses".
There was no immediate comment from the Sudanese government.
Fighting a losing battle
War broke out in Darfur in 2003 when rebel groups began fighting what they say is the political and economic marginalisation of the region's black African tribes by the Arab-led regime in Khartoum.
Khartoum responded by unleashing the Arab Janjaweed militias that have been blamed for many atrocities in the conflict that has left as many as 300 000 people dead and more than two million homeless.
The UN security council has mandated the Hague-based International Criminal Court to investigate possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the region.
Salim "stressed that the perpetrators of these atrocious and murderous acts (in Abu Saruj) should be made to face the full force of the law", the AU statment pointed out.
The AU said the Abu Saruj attack was "particularly deplorable as it has come at a time when intensive efforts are being made to negotiate a peaceful settlement to put an end to the conflict".
The Abuja talks have slowed to a crawl as mediators try to narrow differences between the parties over key issues such as power- and wealth-sharing and security arrangements.
In a briefing to the security council on Monday, the UN's emergency relief co-ordinator, Jan Egeland, warned Darfur was rapidly becoming a dangerous region for civilians as well as humanitarian workers.