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Sudan urged to impeach rapists
08/04/2008 08:33 - (SA)
Khartoum - Widespread rape, mostly committed by pro-government forces, is going unpunished in Sudan's Darfur region and peacekeepers are unable to protect victims as young as 11, a rights group says.
New York-based Human Rights Watch urged Sudan's government to pass and enforce laws immediately to prosecute rapists and protect victims in Darfur, racked by five years of conflict.
"The victims of these horrific attacks have little or no hope of redress in Darfur's current climate of impunity," said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director of the group.
"By failing to prosecute the perpetrators, the government is giving them a licence to rape."
The rights group said the numerous rapes it documented in its 44-page report were only a fraction of those in Darfur because most went unreported. Victims were often prosecuted for adultery or treated indifferently by Sudanese police.
Unpopular peace deal
Gagnon added: "The Sudanese government has declared 'zero-tolerance' for sexual violence, yet has done almost nothing to protect these victims."
Soldiers from all groups were responsible for rape, the group said. Pro-government militia, Sudanese army, rebels and former rebels who signed an unpopular peace deal with Khartoum were all guilty.
"The government of Sudan has failed to rein in the abuse, much of which is carried out by their own soldiers and allied militia," the report said.
Sudan's government was not immediately available to comment on the report, but regularly denied any widespread rape in Darfur. International experts estimated that some 200 000 had died since mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003.
Women 'remain extremely vulnerable'
The International Criminal Court had issued arrest warrants for a Sudanese minister and allied militia leaders for alleged war crimes. Sudan said the West had exaggerated Darfur and refused to hand the suspects over to the world court.
Human Rights Watch urged the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission, which took over in Darfur at the beginning of this year to appoint more trained female officers to deal with rape and increase patrols to accompany women searching for vital firewood in the Darfur countryside, when many rapes takes place.
"Neither government security forces nor international peacekeepers have provided sufficient protection for women and girls, who remain extremely vulnerable to rape and other abuses ... even in periods of relative calm," the report said.
The peacekeeping mission had not received thousands of much-needed extra troops, as many of those pledged do not yet meet strict UN standards.
Commanders from the force had pleaded with the world body to send troops, even without their full equipment, as quickly as possible to relieve the overworked 7 000 soldiers struggling on the ground.
The force should eventually be around 20 000 soldiers with some 6 000 police.
- Reuters
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