Sudan govt 'breaking Darfur arms embargo'
Darfur fighters are being supplied by the Sudanese govt
Friday, 24, Aug 2007 11:52
The international arms embargo on the Darfur conflict is being broken by the Sudan government, a report alleges.
Amnesty International (AI) has released a series of images it claims shows military equipment and even helicopters being transported to the unstable region in defiance of the embargo.
The aid charity says the flow of arms is continuing to fuel "serious human rights violations" in Darfur, where around 200,000 people are believed to have died in fighting between rebels and the government-backed janjaweed militia.
AI claims the proliferation of small arms fire is increasing the frequency of attacks upon aid vehicles and "devastating" attacks targeting civilians. It also links the recent aerial assaults in north Darfur to the government.
"If weapons continue to flow into Darfur and peacekeepers are not given the power to disarm and demobilise all armed opposition groups and janjaweed militia, the ability of the new peacekeeping force to protect civilians will be severely impeded," Erwin van der Borght, director of AI's Africa programme, said.
"For a peacekeeping operation in Darfur to have any chance of success, the UN security council must ensure that the arms embargo on Darfur is fully and effectively enforced," he added.
UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon's latest report on Sudan, published on Wednesday, noted that the country's military failed to honour a deadline to retreat from the south of the country.