U.S. and European Media

July 13, 2023

Reuters: Sudan defends its record to U.N. human rights panel. The Sudanese government on Thursday defended its human rights record to a United Nations panel, faulting rebel groups for not stopping "gross violations" in its conflict-torn Darfur region. Abduldaim Zamrawy, undersecretary of Sudan's Ministry of Justice, told the U.N. Human Rights Committee that Khartoum was "carrying out its duty to protect civilians in Darfur" and fighting violence against women in the region where some 200,000 people are thought to have died since 2003. In its report to the committee, which reviews signatory states' adherence to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Sudan said those living in areas under government control enjoyed many rights and freedoms, including access to higher education and a free press. "Gross violations of the Covenant appear in the parts under the control of the rebel movement in southern Sudan," it said, citing ongoing fighting in the region as "a major impediment" to Khartoum providing essential services to people there, according to a written record by the United Nations. It also claimed successes in curbing violence against women as a result of a new special police force set up to help protect people in Darfur, and efforts to teach health professionals about the procedures to follow in cases of rape or assault.

Christian Science Monitor: Can Darfur's disparate rebels unite? Just a year or two ago, Sudanese militant leaders Al-Hadi Adam Agabeldour and Sadiq Ali Shaibo would have considered each other enemies. They belonged to different militias, and their ethnic groups – Arab and Zaghawa, respectively – were fighting on opposite sides of the war in Sudan's troubled Darfur region. But today, they have united to fight the Sudanese government in Khartoum for its neglect and destruction of Darfur. "The government only used us like guns, like tools, and when they were finished with us, they threw us down," says Mr. Agabeldour, spokesman for the Arab-led militant group United Revolutionary Force/Front in neighboring Chad. "But we are the new generation of Arabs, and we have joined with other militant groups. If we decide to go to war, we go together. If we decide to go for peace, we go together." Such talk of unity, with peace talks scheduled to begin in Tripoli, Libya, starting Sunday, is well received here and could be the first step toward a political solution of the Darfur conflict. Perhaps the most significant aspect is the decision of many Sudanese Arabs – including members of the pro-government janjaweed militias – to switch sides to fight alongside Darfuri rebels, a step that weakens Khartoum's last major base of support in the troubled region. The UN's chief envoy on Darfur, Jan Eliasson, told reporters this week that the upcoming talks in Tripoli were "the moment of truth for the parties to the conflict to see whether they are really ready to discuss peace in Darfur and not to continue the conflict."

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