Amnesty International:Peace Agreement must be inclusive and ensure justice

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
PRESS RELEASE


Sudan: Peace Agreement must be inclusive and ensure justice for
all


As peace talks between the Sudan government and the Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement (SPLM) enter a crucial phase in Naivasha, Kenya,
Amnesty International has stressed that a lasting peace must be
inclusive
and bring justice to all.

Both sides in the 20-year civil war have stated that some
form
of agreement would come by year’s end. The peace talks offer hope to
the
people of Sudan. For the last 10 months of the ceasefire nearly all
civilians in the south and border regions have been able to live in
peace,
however fragile. "But the negotiators in Kenya must not ignore the
fighting
elsewhere in Sudan," Amnesty International said.

Darfur, in western Sudan, is not included in the peace
negotiations to end the civil war mostly fought in southern Sudan and
areas
between north and south. On 16 December talks in N’djamena, Chad,
between
the government of Sudan and the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A),
one
of the armed groups opposing the government in Darfur broke down.

"While the prospects for peace have been fêted in Khartoum and
the
south, in Darfur the life and safety of civilians are again being held
hostage by government forces, militias and armed opposition groups,"
said
Amnesty International.

Villages in Darfur have been bombed by government planes while,
over
the past 10 months, government-aligned militias have been devastating
rural
areas with total impunity. Hundreds of civilians have been killed.

"At least four million people have fled from the conflict between
the
government, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the
militias of
all sides since 1983. Most still suffer in refugee camps or as
displaced
people in the north. Now more than 600,000 people have fled the
countryside
in Darfur since April to safety in towns. Tens of thousands have taken
refuge in Chad. They live in dire humanitarian conditions, with little
or
no access to food or water, shelter or healthcare.

"A major cause of the conflicts which have shattered the
lives
of so many Sudanese has been injustice and marginalization. Unless
these
basic human rights concerns are seriously addressed it will be
difficult to
have a lasting peace," the organization said.

"Human rights, encompassing justice and an end
to
discrimination, have to be at the core of any agreement. But human
rights
will not arrive simply through hope and rhetorical declarations, they
need
to be guaranteed and safeguarded."

Any ceasefire monitoring force must include a human
rights
component and be able to report abuses publicly. Monitors from all
sides
must be supported by international monitors.

"Because there was no human rights component in the
Nuba
Mountains ceasefire in place since March 2002, ceasefire monitors
have
helped to keep the peace but failed to preserve physical security
and
freedom of expression for the people," Amnesty International said.

A truth and reconciliation commission should be set
up to
ensure that the lessons of the past are learnt.

Justice and accountability in the future should be ensured by
the
formation of a national human rights commission, with members of
the
highest integrity, impartiality and independence from all parts of
Sudan
with power to investigate abuses, question government officials and
members
of the security services and protect complainants and witnesses.

Serious human rights violations which should be monitored
in
all areas of Sudan include:

deliberate or indiscriminate attacks against civilians and
extra-judicial executions;

forced and arbitrary displacement of civilians and non-assistance to
displaced people;

maiming of civilians during conflict and torture of suspected
opponents
in detention centres;

abductions and arbitrary arrests, prolonged incommunicado detention,
and
unfair trials;

restrictions on freedoms of expression, association and assembly;

discrimination on grounds of ethnicity or religion; and

violence and discrimination against women.

"Monitoring such abuses will help to end the culture of
impunity in Sudan. The people of Sudan need to know that a peace deal
will
guarantee their basic rights," Amnesty International added.




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