Arab League: Condemn Atrocities in Darfur
Arab States Should Take Steps to Ensure Protection of Civilians in
Western Sudan

(London, August 7, 2004) -- At its emergency meeting on Sunday to
discuss the situation in Darfur, the Arab League should firmly condemn
the gross human rights violations by Sudanese government forces and the
government-backed Janjaweed militias in this western region of Sudan,
Human Rights Watch said today. The pan-Arab group should also make
public the report of its May fact-finding mission to the region.

At the request of the Sudanese government, foreign ministers of the Arab
League-a regional grouping of 22 countries including Sudan-will meet
in Cairo to discuss and state a common Arab position on the Darfur
conflict.

"Allowing the Sudanese government to hide its crimes behind Arab
solidarity would be an insult to more than one million Muslim victims in
Darfur," said Peter Takirambudde, executive director for Human Rights
Watch's Africa division. "The Arab League should stand behind the
victims in Darfur and take concrete steps to ensure that civilians are
protected from further crimes."

In May, the pan-Arab group sent a commission of inquiry to Darfur. The
investigation reportedly concluded that "massive violations of human
rights [had been] committed by pro-government militias" in Darfur.
However, after the Sudanese government vigorously protested the report's
findings at the Arab League summit in Tunis in late May, the Arab League
report has not been made public.

The Sudanese armed forces and government-backed militias-
internationally known as the Janjaweed-have forcibly displaced more
than one million civilians and have committed crimes against humanity
and war crimes in the ongoing conflict in Darfur.

Sudan has come under increasing international pressure in recent months
in the face of mounting evidence of its responsibility for the abuses. On
July 30, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution condemning the
abuses in Darfur and called on the Sudanese government to disarm the
Janjaweed militias within 30 days.

In response to this pressure, Sudanese government statements have
increasingly invoked the possibility of unilateral Western intervention,
such as in Iraq, and denounced international interest in Darfur as a western
conspiracy.

"The Sudanese authorities are expert at the 'divide and rule,' strategy, not
only in their own country, but in the international community," added
Takirambudde. "Sudan's government is trying to manipulate opinion in
the Arab world to hide the massive crimes it has committed against
Sudanese citizens."

Human Rights Watch called on the Arab League to firmly condemn the
atrocities in Darfur, and take serious steps to support efforts by the United
Nations and African Union to stabilize the situation. The pan-Arab group
should call for an international commission of inquiry into the crimes in
Darfur, and make public the report of its May fact-finding mission to
Darfur.

The chairman of the African Union Commission, Alpha Oumar Konaré,
will also attend the Arab League meeting on Sunday. The official in
charge of Sudan affairs for the Arab League, Samir Hosni, on Thursday
said a number of Arab states were prepared to send military observers as
part of the African Union mission in Darfur. Meanwhile, the African
Union announced plans to expand the mission from 300 to 1,800 troops,
and to give it a mandate to protect civilians as well as safeguard African
Union ceasefire monitors.

"Arab League participation in the African Union's mission in Darfur is an
important step, but political pressure on Khartoum is just as vital," said
Takirambudde.

Further information on the crisis in Darfur is available online at:
http://www.hrw.org/doc?t=africa&c=darfur