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Sudan accused of 'war crimes'
21/04/2004 21:42 - (SA)
Geneva - Refugees who fled western Sudan's Darfur region have given consistent accounts of attacks by Sudanese troops and government-backed militia on civilians.
These attacks might constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity, according to a United Nations draft report obtained on Wednesday.
The draft report by a United Nations human rights mission, which has just flown to Sudan to continue its delayed investigation, called for an international inquiry into the allegations.
"The mission was able to identify disturbing patterns of massive human-rights violations in Darfur, many of which may constitute war crimes and/or crimes against humanity," said the report.
"An international commission of inquiry is required, given the gravity of human-rights violations in Darfur," it added.
Sudan urged to condemn crimes
It also urged the Sudanese government to "publicly and unequivocally condemn all actions and crimes" committed by the militia and to ensure they were immediately disarmed and disbanded.
"The patterns of violence point to an intent on the part of the Sudanese authorities to force the population to disperse," it warned.
The Sudanese government and local rebels in Darfur are holding talks in Chad to end their year-long conflict.
About 10 000 people are thought to have been killed while about 670 000 have been forced to flee their homes. More than 100 000 have sought refuge in neighbouring Chad.
A UN spokesman declined to comment on the leaked text.
The UN has postponed releasing the document to the UN Human Rights Commission, which is meeting here, until the team finishes its second trip to the region in Sudan, said officials.
Khartoum had initially blocked the five-person mission from entering Darfur, but the government reversed its decision late on Monday. The team is now heading for the region.
The mission spent more than a week in neighbouring Chad earlier this month interviewing Sudanese refugees who escaped alleged ethnic cleansing by militia in Darfur.
Killings and multiple rapes
UN aid officials and humanitarian workers have already publicly warned of "widespread atrocities" or "ethnic cleansing" on the basis of similar testimony from refugees.
But the unreleased draft report raised the prospect of the more serious allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes, which carry legal weight, a legal expert said.
"There was a remarkable consistency in the witness testimony received by the mission in all places visited," the report said.
It outlined a pattern of air raids followed by ground attacks by militia or soldiers, with indiscriminate killings of civilians, multiple rape, and pillaging.
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