UN Sudan Resolution Fails to Condemn Militia over Atrocities in Darfur

Approaching the end of the six-week United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) in Geneva, the Commission has finally adopted a resolution on Thursday regarding the abuses in Sudan.

After the lengthy negotiations between the European Union (EU), the United States and African nations over the past few weeks, the Commission has dropped certain wording that condemns the Khartoum government and its Arab militias by name for atrocities committed in the embattled Darfur region.

The resolution said, "The commission condemns continued, widespread and systematic violations by all parties of human rights and international humanitarian law in Darfur."

Despite a previous UN report accusing Sudanese troops and their alleged Arab militia allies known as the Janjaweed of wide-scale raping, killing and torturing black Africans, the resolution this time did not specify the government, instead it referred the crime to "all parties".

The resolution however does call on Khartoum to disarm the Arab militias and bring to justice all those involved in human rights violations.

It specifically condemned "the violence against civilians and sexual violence against women and girls, destruction of villages, widespread displacement and other violations."

In fact, the Commission was due to draw up the resolution last week. But it was postponed due to the intense negotiations between the Western countries and the African nations.

In return to the compromise of the Western officials to use milder tones in the resolution, the African nations agreed to strengthen international monitoring over the peace process in Sudan with the appointment of a special investigator on human rights who will report to the UN General Assembly directly.

The conflict in Darfur began in February 2003 when the southern Sudanese rebels tried to protest against the government’s neglect and discrimination against Sudanese of African origin. The government then tried to stop the rebellion by carrying out violence against the African population. An estimated 180,000 people have died and about 2 million others have been displaced. The UN previously called it the world's worst humanitarian crisis.