US accuses Sudan of genocide

The US today accused the Sudanese government Arab militias of genocide against the black African population in the Darfur region.

Secretary of State Colin Powell told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington that the accusation was based on interviews conducted with refugees from the Darfur violence as well as other evidence.

“We concluded that genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the government of Sudan and the jinjaweed (Arab militias) bear responsibility – and genocide may still be occurring,” the secretary said .