Sudan army 'backs militias'

2004-04-23 13:00

New York - Sudanese troops routinely help Arab militias to execute Sudanese men, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday, as a UN human rights team landed in Sudan.

The New York-based human rights watchdog said it had documented dozens of cases in which Sudanese government troops assisted human rights violations by the militias, called janjaweed.

"The janjaweed are no longer simply militias supported by the Sudanese government," said Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch.

"These militias work in unison with government troops, with total impunity for their massive crimes."

Human Rights Watch reported its findings after nearly a month of research inside the western Darfur region.

In early March, 136 members of the Fur ethnic group, aged 20 to 60, were rounded up, trucked to nearby valleys and executed with a bullet to the back of the neck.

Human Rights Watch found that the militias use Sudanese military weapons, insignia and chain of command. The army often supplies air support for militia operations.

The UN team arrived in Sudan to probe allegations of human rights abuses in Darfur region, Sudanese officials said on Thursday.

They said the five-member mission was to travel to Darfur on Friday.

Khartoum initially blocked the trip but bowed to international pressure to allow the UN investigation.

Khartoum has denied arming the Arab militias who have looted and burned African villages, forcing some one million people to flee their homes and become displaced in Darfur.

At least 10 000 people are also believed to have died in more than a year of fighting, which started with a rebel revolt against the government amid allegations it had backed the militias and was neglecting the Darfur region.

- AFP