Human Rights Concerns

Human Rights Concerns
Hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have lost their lives since the Darfur conflict erupted in February 2003. Systematic human rights abuses have occurred, including killing, torture, rape, looting and destroying of property by all parties involved in the conflict, but primarily by the Sudanese government and government-backed Janjawid militia. Though direct government participation in human rights abuses in Darfur has subsided, the Janjawid remains active in Darfur and Eastern Chad, despite the negotiated Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA). The DPA requires the Government of Sudan to facilitate their demobilization. Civilians are increasingly at risk because of inter-rebel fighting due to deep divisions among the rebel groups concerning the DPA.
Over 2 million civilians have been internally displaced by the conflict and more than 215,000 have sought refuge in neighboring Chad. Food is reportedly scarce and sanitary conditions poor. Refugees are continued targets of Janjawid and Darfur rebel group activities in both Darfur and Eastern Chad. The fear of violence in Chad has become such that people are fleeing across the border into Darfur.
The Sudanese government has placed impediments and restrictions on access for humanitarian aid agencies. Aid providers are subject to untenable visa restrictions, organizations are limited in what materials they may use, and all aid providers are subject to arbitrary rule making by the Khartoum government. Aid organization’s face their biggest challenge in attempting to operate in the insecurity in both Darfur and Chad. Aid providers have had food, equipment, and other materials seized by the various militias, and a number of aid workers have been killed or kidnapped. These aid organizations are struggling to operate in these conditions with frequent temporary suspension of activities. The result is humanitarian crisis, with some vulnerable populations completely cut-off from aid, and others subject to interruptions of vital support.
The Sudanese government appears unwilling to address the human rights crisis in the region and has not taken the steps necessary to curtail the activities of the Janjawid. The International Criminal Court has taken the first step in ending impunity in Darfur by launching investigations into human rights violations in Darfur. The Government of Sudan has refused to cooperate with the investigations, and international support for ICC activities in Sudan is necessary if impunity is to be addressed.