Sudan still violent - UN
2005-07-22 14:12
New York - Sudan's Darfur region is a less active war zone than it was a year ago, but rebels and government-backed militias are still carrying out attacks, raping women and creating a climate of fear and intimidation, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Thursday.
In a report to the UN security council, Annan said the international community should welcome the significant decline in violence which has made life for civilians less dangerous, but he cautioned this represented "only a modest step forward" and criticised the government's refusal to disarm militias as it promised a year ago.
Annan also questioned whether the decrease in attacks on civilians was because so many villages have been destroyed since the war began in 2003 that there are now fewer locations for militias to strike.
Attacks, rapes still common
"In addition, the threat of attack - on villages or other concentrations of civilian populations - persists," he said. "Displaced civilians living in camps continue to report attacks on them by militia or bandits when they leave the camps' surroundings."
Although the government has taken some action, Annan said, "sexual violence committed by soldiers, police, and government-aligned militias remains a widespread feature of the Darfur conflict". He urged the government to end "the culture of impunity" behind the sexual abuse.
The most compelling evidence of the lack of security is while attacks on civilians decreased during the past year, the number of people affected by the Darfur conflict increased from just over one million in May 2004 to 2.9 million in June 2005, he said.
While the number of civilians killed in Darfur has dropped from over 300 in January to less than 100 in June, people remain afraid to venture more than a short distance from camps, Annan said.
Fear and tension still rife
"Darfur may be a less active war zone than it was a year ago, but violations of human rights continue to occur frequently and active combat has been replaced by a suffocating environment of intimidation and fear, perpetuated by ever-present militia," Annan said.
On a positive note, he said, the humanitarian crisis has eased though the situation remains fragile and dependent on international aid.
In May 2004, the relief effort could only get food to 400 000 needy people but today over 1.9 million are being reached, Annan said.
Preliminary results from a year-long World Health Organisation-led survey which ended in June indicate the mortality rate in Darfur has dropped below the international crisis threshold of 1 death per 10 000 persons per day, he said.
Nonetheless, Annan warned "as the war drags on, it is certain the ranks of the conflict-affected population will only continue to grow while the ability or willingness of the international community to maintain its current level of assistance may diminish".
- AP