The Sudanese government dismissed as "ridiculous" a rights groups' report saying officials at the highest level of government were responsible for abuses in Darfur and should be investigated for war crimes. New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report on Sunday (December 11) saying Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and 20 other government and army officials and militia leaders should be scrutinised for ordering, condoning or carrying out atrocities. HRW said it based its report on eyewitness accounts, government papers and its own investigations. Senior Foreign Ministry official Mutrif Siddig responded on Monday (December 12) saying, "This report is highly politicised. ... This report is ridiculous, it is baseless, it depends on the propaganda and the campaigns of the rebel groups."