The allegation is significant because Sudanese government officials have repeatedly denied any ties to the Janjaweed, saying the militias are acting outside their control. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment on Wednesday.
The Darfur conflict began after two non-Arab rebel groups took up arms against the Arab-dominated central government in a bid to win more political and economic rights for the region's African tribes. The Arab militias responded by attacking African villages, killing the inhabitants and their livestock and sending refugees fleeing across the desert. No firm estimate of the direct toll of the war yet exists, but it is believed to be in the tens of thousands.
Hilal, speaking in Arabic, said in the transcript provided by Human Rights Watch: "These people get their orders from the Western command center, and from Khartoum." The tapes were made over several hours of interviews with Hilal last September. Human Rights Watch said the release of the tape was delayed for technical reasons related to translating Hilal's comments and formatting the tape.
Since the United States accused the Arab militias of committing genocide, Hilal has been in seclusion in the capital, under close watch by Sudanese officials, those in contact with him say. Hilal allegedly recruited, trained and armed a unit of militia fighters that has been accused of committing atrocities during the conflict.
In the Human Rights Watch tape, Hilal confirmed being a recruiter but denied he commanded the militiaman. "Yes, it's true, I mobilize people, I coordinate with recruiters. ... but I was never a commander of troops in a war zone," he said.
"But as for the military units, with guns, that move around to attack rebel areas or that are attacked by rebels - they're under the order of field commanders," Hilal said.
The executive director of Human Rights Watch's Africa division highlighted Hilal's denial of command responsibility. "Musa Hilal squarely contradicts the government's claim that it has 'no relationship' with local militias," Peter Takirambudde said. "We now see that the two parties responsible for crimes against humanity in Darfur are pointing the finger at each other."
A U.N.-appointed panel said in February that Sudan's government and the Janjaweed militia were not guilty of genocide but did commit mass killings, torture, rape and other atrocities in the Darfur region that merit trials in the International Criminal Court. The United Nations has called Darfur the world's worst humanitarian crisis.