Sudan civilians 'burnt alive'
2004-07-28 09:50
Nairobi - Arab militia in Sudan's western Darfur region killed civilians in early July, by chaining and burning some alive, in spite of a ceasefire signed in April for that region, African Union (AU) ceasefire monitors said.
AU's fact finding team sent to Suleia village in Darfur discovered that the area had been attacked on July 3 "by militia elements believed to be Janjaweed," horse-riding militia allegedly backed by Khartoum, according to an AU document seen by AFP on Wednesday.
"The attackers looted the market (in Suleia) and killed civilians, in some cases, chaining them and burning them alive," the document said.
In another incident reported on July 5, the AU discovered "that the entire Ehda village had been burnt and deserted, except for a few men."
"The CFC (ceasefire commission) concluded that this was an unwarranted and unprovoked attack on the civilian population by the Janjaweed (but) could not substantiate allegations that the Sudanese forces fought alongside the Janjaweed," the document added.
The AU has a ceasefire commission and observer mission in the region, in the throes of what the UN has described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis since February 2003 when two rebel groups rose up against Khartoum, claiming that the mainly black African region had been ignored by the Arab government.
The uprising prompted a bloody crackdown by Sudanese troops and Janjaweed militias, which have carried out what aid and rights groups have called a massive campaign of ethnic cleansing.
About 1.2 million people have been displaced in the region in 17 months of conflict. Of these 200 000 have fled to neighbouring Chad.
The death toll in Sudan's western Darfur province is at least 30 000 and could be as high as 50 000, UN emergency relief co-ordinator Jan Egeland said last Friday.
- AFP