Press Release/Commentary by AI posted on November 04, 2004 at 17:45:53: EST (-5 GMT)

Sudan: Armed groups must stop targeting civilians and humanitarian convoys

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL - PRESS RELEASE

AI Index: AFR 54/140/2004 (Public)
News Service No: 276
2 November 2004

Amnesty International today called upon all armed groups to commit
publicly to respect the fundamental principle of international
humanitarian law which prohibits direct attacks on civilians and
humanitarian convoys.

Eighteen passengers from nomad groups were taken off a bus between
Niyertiti and Thur in South Darfur state by soldiers of the Sudan
Liberation Army (SLA), one of the Darfur armed groups engaged in a 20
month-old conflict with the Sudan government forces. Amnesty
International has grave concerns about their fate. Thirteen of them are
said to have been killed.

"Reports from the World Food Program of government forces surrounding
displaced persons' camps and barring humanitarian agencies in
retaliation for these abductions show the dangerous fragility of the
situation," said Erwin Van Der Borght, Deputy Program Director of
Amnesty International's Africa program .

Amnesty International is also concerned at the increasing number of
attacks and abductions by armed opposition groups on humanitarian
workers and convoys.

"Attacks knowingly and intentionally directed against personnel
involved in humanitarian assistance in armed conflict may constitute
war crimes,"said Erwin van der Borght .

"Insecurity within Darfur hinders movement to whole districts, so
that food, medicine and other non-food items can not be brought in. This
increases enormously the sufferings of an already vulnerable
population," he added.

After such attacks, the district or road is likely to be declared a
no-go area for international humanitarian staff for several days. During
that time, aid will no longer be transported to thousands of people
displaced by attacks by government-backed militias and Sudanese security
forces.

After Sudan Liberation Army forces reportedly hijacked seven
commercial trucks east of al-Fasher on 23 October, the road between
al-Fasher and Um Kedada in North Darfur was closed and has only just
been re-opened.
Because of heavy fighting in the area, the road between al-Fasher and
Kutum remains a no-go zone.
On 10 October 2004 two Save The Children workers were killed in the
Um Baro area in North Darfur by a landmine explosion. Since these
deaths, the road has been closed, causing severe disruption to aid
convoys.
According to the UN the SLA hijacked two vehicles belonging to an
international aid organization in South Darfur on 14 October and
returned them 4 days later.
Over the past two months, a number of World Food Program commercial
trucks have been attacked in South Darfur.
Eight Sudanese, including four TV journalists working for a local
station in Nyala, who were abducted in August by the SLA, were
released only on 29 October.

Armed groups sometimes justify their attacks by saying that they
suspect Sudanese workers accompanying humanitarian convoys to be spies
for the government. Sudanese staff are said to be badly treated by armed
groups, in comparison with international staff.

"The tragedy of Darfur has been caused by ignoring the clear rules of
humanitarian law which say that civilians must never be targeted. Darfur
remains an extremely unstable zone, where civilians and humanitarian
workers live in great insecurity," concluded Erwin van der Borght.

Background:
The minimum rules applicable to all parties in conflict, including
"armed conflict not of an international character", are laid out in
Article 3 common to all the four Geneva Conventions and in Article 13
of Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions, Relating to the
Protection of Victims of Non-International Armed Conflicts. This
codifies customary law in stating that: The civilian population as such,
as well as individual civilians, shall not be the object of attack..
Civilian status is lost only where the person takes an active part in
hostilities, and not merely on the basis of a person’s support or
affiliation.

Armed groups operating in Darfur and Kordofan have recently
proliferated, with the formation of al-Shahama, an armed group said to
be close to the Popular Congress - opposition party of former
ideologist of the government Dr Hasan al-Turabi - and the National
Reform and Development Movement (NRDM), based in Tine, along the
Chad-Sudan border. According to the African Union (AU) monitoring
mission Commander, General Festus Okwonkwo, the NRDM stated that it did
not recognize the 8 April ceasefire agreement and would not guarantee
the safety of AU military observers.