Sudan: Abuses are fabricated
2006-10-07 13:44
United Nations - Sudan's United Nations ambassador has accused the world body of using fabricated data from non-governmental groups in its reporting of widespread rights abuses in Darfur.
The ambassador, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem, did however acknowledge that violations have occurred in the region.
Abdalhaleem dismissed a report that UN secretary-general Kofi Annan sent to the security council on Monday. The report said Sudan's armed forces, as well as rebel factions and militias, continued to violate international human rights law with impunity.
The report said violence was increasing and humanitarian access in Darfur was at its worst since 2004.
"These reports are not new. Many of these reports are fabricated by some (non-governmental organisations) whose intentions are very clear to us," said Abdalhaleem on Friday.
Information 'highly reliable'
"I can assure you that, of course, in any conflict situation, it is a very bad thing, you have violations of human rights, this is war. It is very bad, this is why we would like to have it over."
The UN denied the ambassador's claims.
Oliver Ulich, Sudan team leader in the office for the co-ordination of humanitarian affairs said the UN has 1 500 mostly Sudanese staff in Darfur as well as dozens of human rights officers whom it relies on for information.
He said the UN did receive some information from non-governmental groups but believed it was "highly reliable".
More than 200 000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced in three years of fighting between the government and rebels in Darfur.
Annan welcomes Bashir letter
The violence has continued despite the presence of an African Union peacekeeping force to monitor a May peace deal, which has yet to be implemented.
Sudan has refused to allow the UN to take over peacekeeping duties and expand the AU peacekeeping force despite the insistence of the security council.
President Omar al-Bashir sent a letter to Annan on Thursday reiterating his stance that he would consent to the UN providing support to the AU mission, as UN officials have proposed.
"The secretary-general welcomes President Bashir's acceptance of this initiative," said Annan's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric in a statement on Friday.
"He very much hopes that the proposed support package can be implemented expeditiously."
That letter was separate from another note that Sudan sent to nations that may offer troops for a future UN peacekeeping force in Darfur.
It warned that they would be committing a "hostile act" if they promised troops for the mission.
- AP