| I'm so disillusioned! Oh hold me, Fatimah! |
A human rights group says it has proof that Sudan's government has been supporting Arab militias accused of killing thousands in Darfur. New York-based Human Rights Watch says it has government documents showing that officials directed recruitment, arming and support of the Janjaweed. The government in Khartoum has denied any involvement with the militia.
In Darfur itself, the government has been deploying armed police into the camps for those displaced by conflict so as to kill them more efficiently. Sudan says around 6,000 police are being sent to protect the refugees, following reports of widespread rape of women in the camps by the militias. Aid agencies warn that thousands more of the one million displaced people could die from hunger and disease. A group of British charities is launching an urgent aid appeal for the people of Sudan on Tuesday.
| They'll no doubt call for a 'ceasefire' just as they did in Afghanistan. |
Human Rights Watch said it obtained four documents, signed by government authorities. One from the deputy interior minister was said to ask for the recruitment of "knights" - a reference to militia.
| I thought 'knight' was a Crusader, infidel term. |
| Sammy used to rattle on in his speeches about how the "Iraqi knights" beat the hell out of us in Gulf War I... |
Group director Kenneth Roth said the documents also showed the Sudanese government lied to US Secretary of State Colin Powell and UN Secretary-general Kofi Annan when it denied recruiting and arming the militias. "We can no longer trust Khartoum to police itself when Khartoum is part of a large problem," Mr Roth said.
| Light dawns upon Mr. Roth. |
Mr Annan, who recently visited Darfur, said the international community should insist the Sudanese government live up to its commitments.
| Maybe somebody should pass a resolution? |
A separate UN report said militias continue to carry out attacks in the region. Meanwhile, Khartoum has said 6,000 policemen are being sent to camps in Darfur to try to protect refugees and keep order. The deployment follows international pressure for the government to protect those displaced from rape and abuse by the militias. The security measures were agreed by Sudan after talks with Mr Annan, earlier this month. But the BBC's Hilary Andersson in Darfur says many in the camps do not trust the police because they believe the Sudanese authorities have been backing the militias.
"You're a cop? Wudn't you raping me last week?"
"Never seen yez before in my life, lady!" |
Our correspondent says the insecurity is only part of the problem in the camps, which are filthy and overcrowded. There is little proper shelter, disease is spreading - and every day new graves are dug for those who have died of starvation, she says.
| In other words, just about the way Khartoum wants it. |
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