Amnesty and HRW warn UN against Sudan's withdrawal

Amnesty and Human Rights Watch warned UN peacekeepers against Sudan's withdrawal, at a time when the Janjaweed militia is not only maintaining war crimes in Darfur, but is also carrying out its "war crimes". vile brutality "in Khartoum.

"It is hard to imagine a worse time for deciding to close down UNAMID," said Jonathan Loeb, senior advisor for the crisis at Amnesty International, at the United Nations Mission for the African Union in the United Nations. Darfur.

In the June 27 vote on the decision to end UNAMID, Amnesty said it "has new evidence, including satellite imagery, showing that Sudanese government forces, including Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and militias Allies continued to commit war crimes in Darfur ".

"These include the total or partial destruction of at least 45 villages, unlawful killings and badual violence," said the human rights group in a statement released on Tuesday.

RSF, from the former Janjaweed militia, is also responsible for the crackdown on protesters in Khartoum, which has claimed the lives of dozens of people, Amnesty said.

"In Darfur, as in Khartoum, we have witnessed the despicable brutality of the rapid support forces against Sudanese civilians," he said.

In a separate statement, Human Rights Watch, based in New York, said: "Instead of giving the green light to a continued withdrawal from UNAMID, the UN Security Council should focus on preserving the capabilities of UNAMID. mission to protect civilians and monitor human rights abuses. "

Amnesty General Secretary Kumi Naidoo urged the Sudanese military council to "immediately remove the RSF from any law enforcement and maintenance operation, especially in Khartoum and Darfur ".

A committee of doctors badociated with the Sudanese protest movement said the Janjaweed had shot dead nine villagers Monday in the state of Central Darfur.

The Janjaweed were recruited for the first time when Khartoum trained and equipped Arab raiders to quell an ethnic minority rebellion in the vast West Darfur region that erupted in 2003.

The United Nations said the conflict killed more than 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million people.

The violence in Darfur has significantly diminished over the years and the Janjawid have been absorbed by the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan (Hemeti) Dagalo, vice president of the military council who sacked longtime president, Omar al-Bashir, in April.

"Political instability in Sudan inevitably has an impact on Darfur, especially given the rise of Hemeti and the disturbing news that the badets of the mission (UNAMID) are coming to its strength, despite the long history of abuse by RSF, "said Jehanne Henry, Africa HRW Associate Director.

"You have to investigate RSF for its abuse, regardless of the tasks for which it is unsuitable," said Mr. Henry.

After the dismissal of Bashir, protesters camped outside the army headquarters in central Khartoum for weeks to demand a civilian regime before their violent dispersal last week.

"Measures against the closure of UNAMID have been further strengthened" by repression in the capital, Amnesty said.

Loeb said: "A decision to remove the remaining remaining peacekeepers from Darfur at that time would reveal a shocking lack of understanding about the current reality in Sudan."