Sudanese soldiers raped more than 200 women and girls in Darfur in autumn last year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) concluded in a report issued on Wednesday, confirming allegations that the large UN peacekeeping mission in the area could not.
The report was the result of interviews conducted by telephone with rape survivors, witnesses, former soldiers and others, Human Rights Watch researchers said. Those interviews yielded firsthand accounts of 27 rapes and credible information on 194 others.
The youngest survivor was seven years old.
The group called for an inquiry by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights into what it described as “organized, systematic and widespread” assaults that might be crimes against humanity.
The assaults took place on Oct. 30 and Oct. 31 in the town of Tabit, on the northern reaches of the Darfur region of Sudan. It is among the most recent horrors facing civilians in a rapidly escalating conflict — and also one of the most stark illustrations of the inability of peacekeepers to protect them.
In November last year, just after the rape allegations emerged, the peacekeeping mission, run jointly with the African Union, said in a news release that its investigators had found no evidence to support the allegations although, in an internal report, mission staff members complained of witness intimidation.
The mission has since sought to conduct another inquiry but, according to UN officials, has been stymied by Sudanese government officials.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Wednesday told reporters that while he welcomed the Human Rights Watch report, the UN’s own methodology required access on the ground.
“For us, safe, unhindered access to the town is critical,” he said.
Ban was scheduled to meet with senior Sudanese government adviser Ibrahim Ghandour later in the day. Sudan has repeatedly denied that the rapes took place.
Darfur generated a flurry of attention among US celebrities and politicians about 10 years ago when rebels took up arms against the government of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum, only to face a brutal crackdown.
The International Criminal Court has indicted al-Bashir on charges of genocide and other crimes against humanity, but he has not been taken into custody.
“Denial of access should not be an excuse” not to carry out an independent inquiry, said Philippe Bolopion, UN advocacy director for Human Rights Watch.
Even by the standards of Darfur, which has witnessed more than a decade of atrocities, the Tabit episode was particularly brutal, according to the report, with soldiers going from house to house, looking for rebel gunmen, looting property, beating men and raping women and girls.
The report quoted one woman who said that she and three friends were in her home preparing perfumes for a wedding when about 10 soldiers entered the compound, dragged the women outside and raped each of them multiple times.
“I cannot sit down for a long time like I could before,” the woman was quoted as saying.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS