دارفـــــــــور: تصفية عرقية‘ إغتصاب‘ (...) فيديـــــــــــــــو

Quote: Sudan: New constitution provides sweeping immunity for high level officials Press release, 07/06/2005 The new Interim Consitition for Sudan, ratified today, provides sweeping immunity for the highest levels of the Sudanese government and demonstrates that the government is not serious about combating impunity, said Amnesty International. The organization added that this provides further evidence that the government of Sudan should not sideline the International Criminal Court in favour of national prosecutions of possible war crimes committed in the armed conflict in Darfur. "It is extremely troubling that in the context of one of the most serious conflicts in the world, in which tens of thousands of Sudanese have been the victims of gross human rights violations, a new interim Constitution would be approved that neglects to cite international crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity as crimes that should never carry immunity -- no matter what level of government the alleged perpetrator might occupy," said Kolawole Olaniyan, Director of Amnesty International's Africa Programme. “Although we welcome some of the human rights provisions in the new Constitution, particularly the greater emphasis placed on the rights of women and children, we have serious concerns that the Constitution grants high level immunity from prosecution for most crimes.” Article 60 of the Interim Constitution grants immunity from prosecution to the President and First Vice President of the Republic of the Sudan for all crimes except those of high treason, gross misconduct in relation to State affairs, and gross violations of the Constitution. In these cases, action against alleged perpetrators can only to be undertaken with the approval of three quarters of National Legislature members. Article 92 grants similar immunity for members of the National Legislature. No reference is made to international legal standards in limiting immunity in either article. "Even though no high-ranking officials have been named in connection with international crimes in Darfur, the provisions of the new Constitution call into serious question claims by the Sudanese government that the special national tribunals recently formed to deal with crimes in Darfur could be considered a suitable permanent substitute for the International Criminal Court," said Kolawole Olaniyan. "In short, by not excluding immunity for international crimes, the Interim Constitution risks enshrining impunity for those at the highest levels of government -- limited only by crimes the Government chooses to recognise as worthy of exemption from such immunity." Amnesty International also condemned the limiting of the Article 33 of the Interim Constitution to include a prohibition on cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment -- but not punishment. Previous drafts of the Constitution had prohibited "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment", in line with international standards. The deletion of the word "punishment" from the final draft of the Constitution leaves the door open to punishments such as flogging and amputation, which now remain legal under Sudanese law. This omission constitutes a serious breach of Sudan’s obligations under Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which it is a party. Amnesty International also expressed serious concern at today's failure to abolish the death penalty in Sudan -- particularly as it applies to those under the age of 18. The organization said that this failure is incompatible with Sudan's legal obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. Background Amnesty International issued a Memorandum to National Constitutional Review Commission regarding its recommendations on the draft Constitution in May 2005. For further details please see http://web.amnesty.org/pages/sdn-index-eng.

Quote: U.N. withdraws from Darfur camps GENEVA, Switzerland, July 8 (UPI) -- International aid workers have been forced to withdraw from refugee camps in Darfur after being attacked by young men with sticks and stones. Eight aid workers were injured, none seriously, in camps serving up to 70,000 internal refugees in the war-torn region of Sudan, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva. The attacks occurred at the start of a registration process for food distribution conducted by the U.N. World Food Program. "Initial reports from UNHCR staff indicate that as people were lining up to be registered, some groups of young men armed with sticks and stones began attacking aid workers who were supervising the registration," said Ron Redmond, a spokesman for the refugee agency. Workers with UNHCR, WFP, the U.N. Children's Fund and all non-governmental organizations withdrew from most camps in western Darfur and were escorted to safety by African Union forces, he said. The attacks come two weeks after the United Nations had upgraded its estimate of how many people in Darfur would need food aid, from 2.8 million to 3.5 million. Copyright 2005 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved

Quote: Fresh Killings By Militiamen in Darfur Alleged Vanguard (Lagos) July 10, 2005 Posted to the web July 11, 2005 Kingsley Omunobi A NEW dimension to the factricidal war in Darfur, Sudan has emerged with thousands of internally displaced persons, who are taking refuge in overflowing relief camps being prevented from going back to their villages or alternative camps by unidentified gun men, with security and police sources saying they were being instigated by humanitarian agencies. The allegation came just as the leader of the over 150,000 internally displaced persons IDPs Kalma camp, the largest IDP camp in Darfur, Sheik Ali, accused Sudanese government forces of killing and maiming Darfur people, their horses, donkeys and raping their women whenever they planned to return home. In one of such attacks two days ago, five persons were killed and four injured when about 10 militiamen on horseback, wearing mask, opened fire on internally displaced persons who were on their way to the Al-Salam humanitarian camp, an alternative camp meant to decongest the Kalma camp, where there were threats of outbreak of disease and malnutrition. Sunday Vanguard investigations in Darfur through visits to IDP camps located in Graida, Otash and Kalma, showed that both the humanitarian agencies and the government of Sudan were guilty of complicity in the matter. While the humanitarian agencies would prefer that those displaced remained in the camps to ensure that they remained in business, the fact of inaccessibility and dangers inherent in moving relief materials through rebel held areas were cited as reasons for creating fear in the minds of the internally displaced persons not to leave. On the part of government forces, the continued caging of the people of Darfur in IDP camps suited the policy of the government having fewer problems of agitations to deal with, while GOS forces concentrate on fighting the rebel forces of the Sudanese Liberation Army and JEM (Justice and Equality Movement). According to Sheik Ali, who said he is an indigene of Nyalla, capital of South Darfur, "We are ready to move out of this camp because it is over stretched. But anytime our people make the move, along the road between here and Nyalla, the GOS forces (Government of Sudan) open fire killing the men, the houses, the donkeys and raping our women." "As a result of these incidents, the IDP's are afraid to move out to their villages or other camps meant to decongest the Kalma camp." However, the Force Commander of the mission, Maj-General Festus Okonkwo, has ordered civil police team of the A. U. mission to put in place modalities that would allow the protection forces to accompany humanitarian relief supplies or IDPs willing to relocate to alternate camps so that threats of disease outbreaks would be minimized.

Quote: Bicyclists riding against Darfur genocide cross Monroe today Matthew Daneman Staff writer (July 19, 2005) — Elvir Camdzic has seen the ugly side of humanity close up\ Growing up in Bosnia, he witnessed aspects of the genocide in that war-torn European nation -- which helps explain why the Cornell University grad, now living in San Francisco, today is pedaling his way through western New York on his way to Canada, gathering petition signatures along the route to try to get people interested and governments motivated to do something to stop genocide going on now in the African nation of Sudan. Ride Against Genocide, a 600-mile bicycle trek from Ithaca, Tompkins County, to Ottawa, the seat of the Canadian government, made its way through western Monroe County today. Cornell students organized the trip. "There's been unprecedented outrage about the situation in Darfur," Camdzic said. "Yet despite of all this international outrage, today the genocide continues. We find this inaction ... to be unacceptable." The petition, to be presented to both the U.S. and Canadian governments, asks that they monitor NATO support given to African peacekeeping troops being sent to the Darfur region of Sudan, and that they give troops deployed there the ability to protect civilians and aid workers. According to United Nations estimates, as many as 10,000 people are dying each month in the Texas-sized Darfur region as part of the two-year revolt against the Sudanese government in Khartoum. The ride began July 11, on the 10th anniversary of the massacre in Srebrenica, Bosnia. "We're linking the two genocides," said Camdzic, 28, as he and a small cluster of bicyclers stood at the corner of Broad Street and Exchange Boulevard this morning, preparing to head off, continuing today's leg of the ride. "We're hoping to use that to get people to learn the lessons of Bosnia, not make the same mistakes in Darfur," he said. Then with a left-hand turn onto Broad Street, the bicyclists headed west and were gone. [email protected]

Quote: Rice Speaks on Ending Violence in Darfur Wednesday July 20, 2005 7:46 PM AP Photo SVZ106 By ANNE GEARAN AP Diplomatic Writer DAKAR, Senegal (AP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says there has been progress in Darfur but the world will not accept mere promises from Sudan's new government to halt the violence. Rice planned to visit a Darfur refugee camp that houses more than 70,000 people on Thursday. She was to meet privately with female refugees to discuss their claims that they face violence and rape inside and outside the camp. En route to Africa, Rice indicated it can be an awkward task for the Bush administration to both encourage the new Sudan government and hold it accountable for Darfur. ``I'll admit it's not the easiest thing to manage these two tracks,'' Rice told reporters aboard her plane. Speaking after a trade conference in Senegal on Wednesday, Rice said the unified government in Sudan offers new hope to end the death and violence in that province nearly a year after the administration first called the crisis there genocide. ``We don't rely on words, we rely on action,'' Rice said. Still, she said the end of a separate civil war between Sudan's north and south and the formation of a reconciliation government offered a ``new day'' for Darfur. War-induced hunger and disease have killed more than 180,000 people and driven more than 2 million from their homes since rebels from black African tribes took up arms in Darfur in February 2003, complaining of discrimination and oppression by Sudan's Arab-dominated government. The Sudanese government was accused of responding by backing a counterinsurgency by Arab militia known as the Janjaweed. Sudan's leaders denied involvement in the violence. Nearly 2 million people are housed in camps in Sudan, and additional refugees live in camps across the border in Chad. Sudan formed a new reconciliation government this month, following a peace agreement to end a 21-year-year civil war between the Muslim north and mainly Christian and animist south that killed an estimated 2 million people. The United States held the Arab-dominated former government at arms length, operating an embassy without a full ambassador and listing Sudan, Africa's largest country, among the nations sponsoring terrorism. Still, the administration has made Sudan a focus of second-term diplomatic and humanitarian efforts. Rice's deputy, Robert Zoellick, has made three trips there this year. The United States, the European Union and individual European countries are helping finance an African-led peacekeeping contingent. The African Union is building up the planned force of 7,700, but Rice has sounded frustrated with the pace of deployment. At the airport in the Sudan capital of Khartoum, Rice was meeting some of a contingent of 1,200 Rwandan troops en route to Darfur. Rice's two-day African trip, her first to the continent as secretary of state, was originally planned as a much longer trip. She cut it short to fly to the Middle East for a long weekend of shuttle diplomacy intended to calm tensions between Israelis and Palestinians ahead of Israel's planned withdrawal of troops and settlers from the Gaza Strip. On Wednesday, Rice emphasized a need for worldwide economic aid to developing African nations, and she announced a modest increase in U.S. grants aimed at helping West African countries export more goods. Rice told delegates at a U.S.-Africa trade conference that the additional $1 million in U.S. grants would help West African nations improve transportation safety and infrastructure to enhance international trade. ``Only the people of Africa can solve the problems of Africa,'' she said. ``But for these men and women to fulfill their dreams of democracy and security and prosperity, all developed nations have a responsibility to help.'' The United States is urging African producers to diversify the kinds of goods they sell abroad. The U.S. already buys large amounts of oil from Africa, but both places would benefit from increased trade in an array of other goods, especially farm products, U.S. officials at the trade conference said.

Quote: Darfur Violence Drops but Rape Persists By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press Writer July 21, 2005, 4:20 PM EDT UNITED NATIONS -- Rebels and government-backed militias in Sudan's Darfur region are still carrying out attacks, raping women and creating a climate of fear, although violence in the region has declined in the last year, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Thursday. While the number of civilians killed in Darfur has dropped from over 300 in January to less than 100 in June, people remain afraid to venture far from camps, Annan said in a report to the U.N. Security Council. Additionally, the number of people affected by the Darfur conflict increased from just over one million in May 2004 to 2.9 million in June 2005, he said. This includes nearly 1.9 million refugees still in Sudan, over 200,000 refugees in Chad, and nomads and other drought-affected people. "Darfur may be a less active war zone than it was a year ago, but violations of human rights continue to occur frequently and active combat has been replaced by a suffocating environment of intimidation and fear, perpetuated by ever-present militia," Annan said. The report came as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice went to a Darfur refugee camp for a first-hand view of conditions there. She met with humanitarian workers and women who described their fear of rape and violence by government forces. "I think people have known this is a devastating crisis for so many people and the United States has called it by name, that is that a genocide was committed here," Rice said. She also demanded -- and got -- an apology after security forces at the residence of Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir manhandled U.S. officials and reporters traveling with her. Rebels from black African tribes took up arms in Darfur in February 2003, complaining of discrimination and oppression by Sudan's Arab-dominated government. The government is accused of unleashing Arab tribal militia known as the Janjaweed against civilians in a campaign of murder, rape and arson. At least 180,000 people have died -- many from hunger and disease. Annan criticized the government's refusal to disarm militias as it promised a year ago and questioned whether the decrease in attacks on civilians was because so many villages were destroyed since the war began that there are now fewer locations for militias to strike. "The threat of attack -- on villages or other concentrations of civilian populations -- persists," he said. "Displaced civilians living in camps continue to report attacks on them by militia or bandits when they leave the camps' surroundings." On a positive note, he said, the humanitarian crisis has eased -- though the situation remains fragile and dependent on international aid. In May 2004, the relief effort could only get food to 400,000 needy people. Today, over 1.9 million are being reached, Annan said. Preliminary results from a year-long World Health Organization-led survey which ended in June indicate the mortality rate in Darfur has dropped below the international crisis threshold of 1 death per 10,000 persons per day, he said. Nonetheless, Annan warned that "as the war drags on, it is certain that the ranks of the conflict-affected population will only continue to grow while the ability or willingness of the international community to maintain its current level of assistance may diminish." Copyright 2005 Newsday Inc.

Quote: UN envoy to Sudan urges Khartoum to disarm Darfur's Arab militias 6 minutes ago UN envoy Jan Pronk expressed cautious optimism about the situation in Sudan's western Darfur region, but urged the Khartoum government to take more forceful action to disarm Arab militias and stop rapes. Pronk, the UN envoy to Sudan, told the UN Security Council that more money -- nearly two billion dollars (1.66 billion euros)-- was needed this year to facilitate the voluntary returns of displaced persons and refugees in the upcoming dry season in southern Sudan. "The ceasefire seems to be kept by the parties," he told council members, adding the African Union force had helped bring more stability. But the envoy made it clear that the situation remained delicate. "(Government-armed) militias have not been disarmed. Arbitrary arrests and inhuman treatment of prisoners still take place," Pronk told a council debate on Sudan. In his own report to the Security Council, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called on Khartoum to do more "to address the disarmament of the Janjaweed (Arab militias) and other outlaw groups, which would also greatly facilitate the conclusion of a political agreement that settles the conflict in Darfur." The UN chief also deplored the fact that recent clashes between the rebel factions "have exacerbated the difficulties faced by humanitarian organizations" in delivering aid to those who need it. Turning to the issue of rape, Pronk said: "a new Government policy to help the victims of rape and to investigate the crimes of rape has been adopted, after long and intensive discussion with the UN, but its implementation is still deficient throughout Darfur." The Annan report made the same point, noting that: "Sexual violence committed by soldiers, police, and Government-aligned militias remains a widespread feature of the Darfur conflict." "Although the government has taken some action, it has not done enough to end the culture of impunity behind the widespread sexual abuse in Darfur," Annan said. Pronk for his part urged Khartoum to "not only arrest foot soldiers who killed and raped, but also their commanders, and their leaders who instructed them to do so." He also underscored the need to expand the AU force in Darfur soon. The AU plans to more than double its Darfur monitoring force to more than 7,700 by September. An estimated 180,000 to 300,000 people have died in Darfur, with some 2.6 million civilians left homeless, since February 2003 when fighting erupted between rebels and government forces backed by local Arab militia. Local groups in Darfur had launched their rebellion in the name of the region's black African tribes against marginalization by Khartoum's Arab-dominated government. The Annan report however said the overall situation in Darfur had "improved considerably" over the past year. But it noted that efforts must be made to end the harassment of aid workers in south Darfur and "to ensure that the policies adopted at the national and state levels are implemented on the ground at the local level." Pronk stressed that further confidence-measures were needed but added: "there's light at the end of the tunnel." He also called on donors to increase their pledges, pointing out that the UN was expecting about 600,000 displaced persons and refugees to return. "We need resources, many more. Our programs are under-funded," he said."Our revised work plan for 2005 amounts to nearly two billion dollars (up from the 1.5 billion dollars presented last year). So far, only 40 percent of this figure has been committed." Last April, donors at a conference in Oslo pledged 4.5 billion dollars (3.5 billion euros) for the next three years to help rebuild Sudan's pacified southern and northern areas. Pronk, who last week held talks in Eritrea aimed at resolving a burgeoning rebellion in eastern Sudan, said he was hopeful an agreement between the two sides there might be reached before the end of the year.

Quote: Violence Flares Up in Sudan's Darfur Region By Raymond Thibodeaux Nairobi 26 July 2005 There has been a sharp rise in armed attacks in Sudan's western Darfur region, less than a week after a visit by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and less than a month after the government and rebel groups agreed to enter another round of peace talks. Rebels say government troops, backed by attack helicopters have raided four villages in Sudan's Darfur region since Friday. The attacks shattered a pledge by the government not to launch air attacks in the region. Sudan's government says the violence was provoked when rebels attacked armed guards for a civilian convoy on a road that connects El Fasher and Nyala, Darfur's northern and southern capitals. On Monday, at least seven civilians were killed and another 10 wounded in attacks by government forces. In a separate incident, a Sudanese M-17 helicopter crashed in southern Darfur, killing all 19 people on board, according to official Sudanese military statements. A top official with Darfur's largest rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Movement says fighters in Darfur are on high alert. Adam Shogar says Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir plans to visit El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, later this week. "Bashir is visiting next tomorrow [Thursday] El Fasher, so they are going to secure the area. Because of that, they are now maneuvering in the area to clear the area of any presence or the movement of troops," he said. "There is an attack on our positions in the Sheng al-Tobei area, an attack with about 100 vehicles from the government troops and mostly air force attacks." But the latest violence ends several months of relative calm, as the Khartoum government and Darfur's two rebel groups, the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement, are set to begin new peace talks in August. Mr. Shogar says he hopes the talks yield a peace deal similar to the one signed in Naivasha, Kenya, between the Khartoum government and southern Sudan's main rebel group, which ended the country's 22-year civil war. But the recent attacks have escalated tensions in Darfur and are dimming the prospects for a peace agreement anytime soon. Mr. Shogar, speaking by satellite phone from N'djamena in Chad, is more preoccupied with military developments. "We are waiting to see what will happen in the coming 24 hours," he said. "If they never withdraw from that area, we will have to defend ourselves and retaliate." Last week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with President Bashir in Khartoum. She urged Sudan to stop what she sees as genocide in Darfur. Since the conflict started more than two years ago, fighting between government forces and rebel troops has left tens of thousands of people dead and driven two million people from their villages.

Quote: Alerting Humanitarians to Emergencies World Vision feeds 25,000 children in Darfur displacement camp 27 Jul 2005 07:12:00 GMT Source: NGO latest World Vision International World Vision International (WVI) Website: http://www.wvi.org World Vision distributed food to nearly 25,000 children under five in a massive exercise in Darfur's Kalma displacement camp last week. It was World Vision's first blanket feeding exercise in Darfur, aimed at curbing rising malnutrition rates among children in various displacement camps. The children received a two-week ration of highly nutritious Corn Soya Blend (CSB) and sugar, plus vegetable oil. Every child received 3.6 kilograms. About 88 metric tones of the premix were distributed. World Vision is implementing the program with the support of the World Food Programme (WFP). The program has a food value of US$337,977 (367,300 metric tonnes of food). The food distribution was carried out in just three hours last Thursday, with World Vision staff handing out the supplies at various sites around the camp. “The day went well. I was not expecting us finish before end of day since it was a new thing, but we picked up speed and finished in three hours,” said Francis Madonko, WV Commodity Officer. Around 157,000 people are currently living in Kalma Camp, displaced from their homes by the crisis in Darfur. The camp, located 15km east of the town of Nyala, is the biggest in the region. Food rations will be given to the children every two weeks for the next three months. The blanket feeding will run parallel with the monthly general food distributions that have been continuing since August 2004. Last month, World Vision WV distributed food to 250,000 people in 24 camps across South Darfur. Report from John Kisimir - WV Sudan Communications For more information on World Vision International visit http://www.wvi.org, or contact us at [email protected]

Quote: UN official: Darfur authorities bully rape victims 28 Jul 2005 22:42:02 GMT Source: Reuters By Evelyn Leopold UNITED NATIONS, July 28 (Reuters) - Gang rapes in Sudan's Darfur region, especially by soldiers and police, often go unpunished with authorities more willing to arrest the victims than the perpetrators, a U.N. official said on Thursday. Louise Arbour, the Geneva-based high commissioner for human rights, told the U.N. Security Council that complaints against military and other law enforcement personnel were delayed indefinitely or dismissed outright. "When rape is not established by the courts, rape victims risk facing criminal charges themselves," she told the council in a closed session before releasing her briefing notes. Arbour, who intends to release a report on Friday on access to justice for Darfur rape victims, said "rape and gang rapes continue to be perpetrated by armed elements in Darfur, some of whom are members of law enforcement agencies and the armed forces." "The government appears either unable or unwilling to hold them consistently accountable," Arbour said. Victims and witnesses had faced arrest for "providing false information" after reporting sexual violence, she said. At least 180,000 people in Darfur have died from violence, hunger and disease and 2 million have been driven out of their homes, most into squalid camps or neighboring Chad. The Darfur conflict, in Sudan's west, broke out in February 2003 after rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated government, complaining of discrimination. The government is accused of arming Arab militia, known as Janjaweed, who pillaged, killed and raped. It has denied the charge. The Sudanese government in May formed a committee on gender-based violence in South Darfur to assist law enforcement agencies in investigations. Khartoum has also established a special criminal court on events in Darfur but Arbour said it was too early to judge its impact. The actions by Khartoum were "signs that the government is starting to address the issue," she added. Arbour's report on Friday is aimed at evaluating a year-old agreement with the United Nations in which the Sudan government pledged to investigate abuses in Darfur immediately and "to ensure that all individuals and groups accused of human rights violations are brought to justice without delay." AlertNet news is provided by

Quote: UN accuses Sudan over Darfur rape A United Nations report has accused Sudanese authorities of taking no action against militiamen and soldiers accused of rape in the Darfur region. Women in refugee camps risk being raped if they go in search of food, the UN's human rights commissioner says. International charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said in June that 500 women had been raped in four months alone. Sudan's authorities have threatened and arrested victims to make them withdraw the charges, the UN report says. More than two million people have been forced from their homes and at least 180,000 have died during the Darfur conflict. Sudanese authorities deny accusations that they back the Arab Janjaweed militias who are alleged to have committed widespread atrocities, such as mass killings and mass rape. Government 'unwilling' "Every week, more new cases of rape of women and girls are reported," the UN report said. "The government of Sudan needs to acknowledge the scope of the problem and to take concrete action to end the climate of impunity in Darfur," it said. The UN says charges are still not investigated thoroughly by the authorities. Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour told the UN Security Council ahead of the report's release on Thursday that Khartoum's government appeared "either unable or unwilling to hold them consistently accountable". Ms Arbour said that rape victims themselves could face criminal charges when courts ruled that they were unable to prove their cases - discouraging women from making accusations. "Arrest, harassment and intimidation of victims of sexual violence and their supporters must end," the UN report said. In June, Sudan set up a special court to try those accused of war crimes in the Darfur region but the report said it was too early to judge its impact. "To date, most perpetrators have not been brought to justice, and it remains to be seen whether [the court] will effectively address the crime," the report said. It urged the Sudanese government to remove all regulations granting immunity to state officials from prosecution and to give thorough training to police, prosecutors and judicial authorities in the investigation of sexual crimes.

Quote: U.N.: Sudan Forces Commit Rape in Darfur By NICK WADHAMS, Associated Press WriterSat Jul 30, 7:01 AM ET Sudanese police and soldiers still rape helpless civilians in Darfur — and often are tacitly protected by authorities despite government promises to punish those responsible for sexual violence, the United Nations said Friday. Victims and witnesses are routinely threatened and sometimes charged with crimes if they come forward with allegations of rape, according to the report. Authorities also intimidate humanitarian groups investigating the claims. "Many women do not report incidents, out of fear of reprisals," the report said. "Some police stations refuse to register and investigate complaints of sexual violence." The report was drawn up at the request of Louise Arbour, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. She wanted to assess Sudan's compliance with promises it made last year to punish those who commit sexual violence against civilians in Darfur. It said the government has taken small steps — such as creating a committee on gender-based violence — but has not brought offenders to justice on a large scale. "Basically we see extremely poor results in the investigation and successful prosecution of perpetrators of very serious sexual violence," Arbour told a news conference. "Rape, gang rape and so on continue to be very prevalent by all accounts." The report said offenders include members of the law enforcement, security forces and pro-government militia. Suspects have been tried very rarely, Arbour said. "We're talking a handful of cases where we've been able to document a successful prosecution," she said. Sexual violence has been a key problem in Darfur since Sudan's government allegedly unleashed Arab tribal militia known as the Janjaweed to suppress rebels who took up arms in February 2003. The campaign of murder, rape and arson has killed 180,000 people, many from hunger and disease, destroyed crops and ruined countless homes. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice toured Darfur and said "a genocide was committed here." She met privately with female refugees, including rape victims. The report called on the Sudanese government to end "the climate of impunity." Even when women do report sexual offenses, authorities "generally deny the allegations of rape and sexual violence and intimidate the victims and witnesses into withdrawing their charges," the report noted. Arbour said Friday that Sudan's government had been "extremely unreceptive" about recognizing the magnitude of the problem. "The government has to acknowledge that this is not a fabrication by humanitarian workers and NGOs and so on," Arbour said, referring to non-governmental organizations who have reported on widespread rape in Darfur. Women are "preyed upon continually by members of the armed forces, by militias, by soldiers, policemen, people who should be brought under control by the government," Arbour said. On Thursday, she told the U.N. Security Council that Sudan either can't or won't hold rapists accountable. Earlier this year, the Security Council referred cases of crimes against humanity in Darfur to the International Criminal Court, the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal. Lead prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo suggested in June that rape would be one crime he would pursue.