UN Security Council seeks more control over arms to Darfur

03:52 PM Feb, 13 2015
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Sudan’s diplomatic source disclosed on Thursday that the country’s police and justice bodies are currently conducting investigations concerning what had circulated by some media reports about the rape of a girls in Darfur by a official belongs to the United Nations–African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)
The source told Sudanese News Agency (SUNA) stressed that the incident is under investigation and if the employee found guilty, he will be subject to prosecution in accordance with the law, pointing out that there is no immunity to such crimes.
Human Rights Watch on Wednesday accused Sudanese soldiers of raping at least 221 women and girls in Sudan's Darfur region late last year after the United Nations said U.N.-African Union attempts to investigate were blocked by Khartoum.
The group said 15 survivors, one female witness and 23 other credible sources had given it information of mass rapes committed between Oct. 30 and Nov. 1 in the Darfur town of Tabit. It said it had collected names and other information on 221 victims.
The mass rape of women and girls in Tabit may amount to crimes against humanity," it said.


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February 12 - 2015 NEW YORK

Darfuri child with bullets (Albert González Farran/Unamid)

The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution, renewing the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the Sudan Sanctions Committee for an additional 13 months, until 12 March 2016.

Russia and the USA have been negotiating details of the resolution, and made some adjustments. The new resolution strengthens the language regarding restrictions against the transport of weapons and ammunition into Darfur by the Sudanese authorities and government-affiliated armed groups.

It recalls that Sudan is obliged under resolution 1591 to request approval from the Sanctions Committee, in advance of transporting military equipment and supplies into Darfur.

The Experts’ Panel has to share any evidence of potential non-compliance with the assets freeze and travel ban.

Additionally, the resolution condemns the use of camps for Darfuri displaced by armed groups in ways that benefit them, and pose risks to civilians. This also represents a departure from last year’s resolution.

Russia argued that the initially circulated draft version tended to be too critical of the Sudanese government, without sufficiently acknowledging the role of the rebel groups in the violent conflict.

The chairman of the Sudan Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Rafael Ramírez (Venezuela) told the Security Council that the Committee was concerned about attacks on civilians and UN personnel, while noting that several Committee members pointed to continued violations of the arms embargo.

(Source: UN, AP)