EU to press for genocide probe in Sudan

THE European Union yesterday said there was no indication that Sudan had acted to disarm armed militias in the war-torn Darfur region and agreed to press for a UN investigation into whether genocide was being committed.

The call came as the World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday that 10,000 people, many of them children, are dying each month from disease and the effects of violence in Darfur camps despite a big international aid effort.

The Sudanese government has been accused of supporting and arming the Arab Janjaweed militia to put down revolts by black African farmers over land and water.

Many believe the Janjaweed’s activities suit the Khartoum government’s aim of extending its Arabisation of Africa’s largest country after it introduced Sharia law some time ago.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell raised the question of genocide last Friday after the latest reports from the region said there were continuing killings and rapes by armed militias.

Foreign Minister Brian Cowen, after a meeting with his fellow EU ministers in Brussels yesterday, said the US had indicated that genocide had taken place.

“This has legal implications and we support setting up an international enquiry to establish if it’s the case,” he said.

The EU ministers said there was no indication that the Sudanese government had taken real steps to disarm and neutralise the militia and said they were very concerned over reports that members of the militia had been integrated into the military force.

“Contrary to various announcements by the government of Sudan, there are reports about continuing massive and severe human rights violations by the armed militia, including systematic rape of women,” they said in a statement issued after the meeting.

The EU ministers said they would welcome steps by the UN Secretary General to establish, as soon as possible, an international commission of inquiry to immediately investigate all violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Darfur, and to determine whether acts of genocide had occurred.

They also repeated their threat to impose sanctions. However, the EU does not appear ready to support a US-drafted UN Security Council resolution threatening sanctions on Sudan’s oil industry if it does not stop abuses in the region.

The resolution also calls on Sudan to accept a larger monitoring force from the African Union which already has 80 observers and a 300-strong protection force to monitor a faltering cease-fire between Darfur rebels and Khartoum.

While Britain, France and Germany are willing to back the resolution, Italy, Greece and Spain fear it will not help the situation especially as China, Sudan’s largest trading partner has threatened to veto it.