GENEVA, 22 June 2004 — Sudanese militias accused of conducting “ethnic cleansing” in the Darfur region are now terrorizing a camp holding tens of thousands who fled their attacks, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said yesterday.
The medical charity also warned that tens of thousands could die of hunger in the war-ravaged western region because of a lack of humanitarian aid.
“After surviving massacres carried out by militias on their villages, displaced civilians in Darfur continue to endure violent attacks and rapes around the areas where they have gathered,” a statement said.
“The same militias who carried out the initial attacks now control the camp’s periphery, virtually imprisoning people who live in constant fear,” it said, referring to the Mornay camp in western Darfur, where some 80,000 people have taken refuge.
“Men risk being killed if they leave, and women have been beaten and raped looking for food and other essential items outside the camp,” said the statement released in Geneva. War broke out in Darfur in February 2003 when rebel groups, complaining of the marginalization of their region and a lack of protection for local people, rose up against the Sudan government.
Khartoum’s proxy militia has been accused of conducting a scorched earth campaign and ethnic cleansing in Darfur.
Darfur’s “displaced have been entirely dependent on external aid for several months, but the assistance necessary for them to survive has not materialized,” warned the MSF statement.
“Already, 200 people die in Mornay every month, and there is nothing to indicate that assistance will arrive in time or in sufficient quantities to avoid a massive human catastrophe.
“Today, one in five children in the camp are severely malnourished while irregular and insufficient food distributions do not come close to meeting the basic needs of people weakened by violence, displacement and deprivation,” said the statement.
Meanwhile, a government team will leave Sudan for Paris for talks with a rebel group on a conflict that has displaced one million people in Darfur region and raised fears of large-scale famine.
The United Nations says the conflict has created the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. Hassan Burgo, a senior official from the ruling National Congress party, said talks with the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) were expected to last about one week and would cover “points of difference”.
The JEM and another rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), launched an uprising in Darfur in February 2003, saying they wanted a fairer share of power and resources in Sudan. Both groups signed a truce with the government on April 8, but since then each side has accused the other of violations.
“There is communication between the government and the political leadership of the rebels via mediators to bring us together for these talks,” Burgo said.
Burgo said the government would urge the return to Sudan of JEM’s leaders, who are based in Europe.
Burgo said he did not expect a lot from the Paris talks. “I don’t want people to attach too much importance to what will happen in Paris. It is a continuation of negotiations but the important thing is the ceasefire which was agreed upon and we are committed to,” he said.
Officials said the ruling party’s secretary-general for Khartoum state, Al-Haj Atta Al-Manan, was heading the government team and the talks were a continuation of discussions with the JEM first held in March.
