28.07.2008 - Source: BBC News

Darfur: UN mission is failing to provide adequate protection to civilians, aid agencies claim ("Darfur force 'failing civilians'") [ID 24364]

Document(s): Open document

11.05.2008 - Source: ReliefWeb

Khartoum: Information on background and implications of Darfur rebel attack on city ("FACTBOX - What next after rebel attack on Sudan's capital?"), Autor: Reuters Foundation [ID 23339]

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Overview on ethnic conflicts and tensions in different regions of Sudan (2007) ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 22725]

"The country experienced several violent ethnic conflicts during the year.

Despite the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) by the government and Minni Minawi's faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) in May 2006, the ethnic conflict in Darfur continued.

Government forces, government-aligned militia (janjaweed), Darfur rebel groups, and tribal factions continued to commit serious abuses during the year.

Tensions and violence persisted in the south over the implementation of the CPA.

Unlike in the previous year, there were no reports of violence in the east, where the rebel Eastern Front signed a peace agreement with the government in October 2006.

Conflict on the country's western border with Chad was, in part, a spillover of the conflict in Darfur and, in part, attributable to Chadian rebel forces based in Darfur who were opposed to the rule of Chadian President Idriss Deby.

The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a Ugandan rebel movement, allegedly made incursions into Southern Sudan and attacked and killed civilians."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Darfur: Human rights violations in 2007: Torture, violence against women, rape, attacks on humanitarian convoys, attacks on civilians ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 22726]

"In Darfur government forces, Janjaweed, Darfur rebel groups, and tribal factions committed serious abuses during the year, including the reported killing of approximately 1,600 persons.

Government, Janjaweed militias, and tribal factions razed numerous villages, committed acts of torture, and perpetrated violence against women.

Darfur rebel groups were also responsible for rape and attacks on humanitarian convoys and compounds to steal equipment and supplies, resulting in injury to humanitarian workers.

Civilians continued to suffer from the effects of genocide. [...]

According to the UN, more than 200,000 persons have died, 2.2 million civilians have been internally displaced, and an estimated 231,000 refugees have fled to neighboring Chad since the conflict began in 2003.

Despite the presence in Darfur of the African Union-led international monitoring force (African Union Mission in Sudan or AMIS), security remained a major problem throughout the year."

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Southern Sudan: Security situation in 2007: Clan violence remains high, disarmament and reintegration hampered ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 22727]

"In Southern Sudan delays in CPA implementation, particularly the provisions of its security arrangements governing demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration, continued to foment insecurity.

Clan violence, some allegedly orchestrated by the government in Khartoum in response to increasing north/south tensions, remained high.

The SPLA's integration of militias termed by the CPA as "Other Armed Groups" was largely complete, although integration of other new militia groups continued."

Document(s): Open document

31.01.2008 - Source: Human Rights Watch

South Sudan: Unstable security situation prevents refugees and internally displaced persons from returning home; inter-tribal clashes killed hundreds in 2007 ("World Report 2008") [ID 22233]

"Security is essential to enable refugees and other displaced persons to return to their homes in southern Sudan.

However, there has been only limited progress on disarmament and violent inter-tribal clashes left hundreds dead in 2007.

In May 54 people were killed following clashes over cattle between Didinga and Toposa community members in Eastern Equatoria.

In July 56 people were killed following violent inter-tribal clashes between Nuer and Murle in Jonglei State."

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13.12.2007 - Source: Refugees International

Darfur: Displaced people continue to languish in camps unprotected from violent attacks and are increasingly cut off from humanitarian assistance; humanitarian workers have become easy targets of all sides (attacks by rebel groups, armed militias, and bandits, expulsions by government, resource-draining bureaucratic impediments) ("Humanitarian Action Still Under Fire in Darfur") [ID 21832]

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09.2007 - Source: Amnesty International

Darfur: Large parts unsafe for travel; attacks on humanitarian aid centres; attacks committed by government and Janjaweed forces ("Darfur: ‘When Will They Protect Us?’ Civilians trapped by violence in Sudan [AFR 54/043/2007]") [ID 22016]

"Large parts of Darfur are now unsafe for travel.

According to the UN, in July 2007, 14 humanitarian vehicles were hijacked, 15 convoys were attacked and looted.

As a result, UN and aid workers are forced to use helicopters, severely restricting their mobility. [...]

Nearly every aid agency has suffered armed attacks and nearly every agency has reduced its staff.

In July 2007, nine humanitarian centres were attacked and eight aid workers were killed on duty. Some agencies have had to pull out altogether, after government harassment or armed attacks.

In December 2006, armed men broke into three aid agency bases in Gereida. One aid worker was raped, another was badly beaten and 12 vehicles were stolen.

In July 2007, having failed to obtain credible assurances that attacks would not continue, Oxfam withdrew from Gereida. [...]

In May and June 2007, more than 2,500 people fled from south Darfur, taking a painful 10-day trek to the Central African Republic.

The refugees said they fled after Janjawid and government forces attacked Daffaq between 12 and 18 May.

The villages of Mazrouk and Um Sa'ouna in south-east Darfur were each attacked by about 300 Janjawid, with vehicles, in August 2007. In Mazrouk two civilians were killed, in Um Sa'ouna about seven. The Janjawid forces were led by a former SLA member and supported by bombing raids by government Antonov airplanes. [...]"

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29.08.2007 - Source: UN Security Council

Killing of children and civilians related to armed conflict and due to unexploded ordnance in Southern Sudan (July 2006 - July 2007) ("Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Sudan [S/2007/520]") [ID 21576]

"The deaths of eight children, directly and indirectly related to armed conflict, were confirmed during the reporting period.

Some killings were attributed to fighting between SPLA and the local militia known as the White Army, which took place in Jonglei State in August and September 2006.

Further, following the fighting that erupted in Malakal, Upper Nile State, in November 2006 between SPLA and SAF, at least 150 people, including civilians, were reportedly killed. The exact number of children killed during that fighting is unknown.

The responsibility for the killings lies with SAF and SPLA, who acted in clear violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Some 31 people, mostly children, were killed due to unexploded ordnance during the first six months of 2007.

However, those cases represent only the ones reported through the United Nations Mine Action Office, as many more incidents occurred during the reporting period."

Document(s): Open document

29.08.2007 - Source: UN Security Council

Killing of children and civilians related to armed conflict and due to unexploded ordnance in Darfur (July 2006 - July 2007) ("Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Sudan [S/2007/520]") [ID 21579]

"Sixty-two children were confirmed to have been killed during the reporting period in Darfur. However, the United Nations received additional reports alleging the killing of a further 110 children, which could not be verified.

The Government of Sudan's aerial bombardments resulted in the deaths of children.

For example, two children 4 and 15 years of age were killed in May 2007 as a result of the bombing of villages in Northern Darfur by the Government of the Sudan.

In a series of incidents during late August 2006 in the Buram area of Southern Darfur, at least 11 children were confirmed killed when a militia from the local Habania ethnic group, described as Janjaweed, attacked about 50 villages and killed children by throwing them into burning houses.

In addition, during the first six months of 2007 alone, 16 people died as a result of unexploded ordnance, of whom most were children tending animals, playing or working in the fields.

[...] Although civilians, including children, continue to be killed during attacks in various parts of Darfur, the full extent of child casualties is unknown owing to limitations in access. The identification of perpetrators remains a considerable challenge."

Document(s): Open document

29.08.2007 - Source: UN Security Council

Attacks on schools or hospitals in Southern Sudan (July 2006 - July 2007) ("Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Sudan [S/2007/520]") [ID 21611]

"There are persistent reports that SPLA forces are occupying schools in various locations in Southern Sudan.

An investigating team from the United Nations Mission in the Sudan confirmed the occupation of one school by SPLA soldiers at Holi village, near Torit town (Eastern Equatoria). Lessons for the children had to be conducted outside under a tree.

In a more violent incident, SPLA forces raided a school in Nasir, Upper Nile, in October 2006 for the purpose of recruitment. Thirtytwo [sic!] boys and 24 teachers were abducted. All but two boys were released after sustained pressure was exerted on SPLA by parents and teachers."

Document(s): Open document

29.08.2007 - Source: UN Security Council

Attacks on schools or hospitals in Darfur (July 2006 - July 2007) ("Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in the Sudan [S/2007/520]") [ID 21612]

"Seven attacks on schools by SAF and allied militias were confirmed [...], and six others remained unconfirmed.

An investigation into the aerial attack by SAF on the village of Umm Rai in Northern Darfur on 21 April 2007 revealed that a helicopter fired nine rockets at the school while 170 children were having lessons inside the classrooms.

Four rockets landed inside the school grounds, as close as two metres from the classrooms. Five rockets reportedly landed just outside the school fence.

Two children, a boy and a girl between 12 and 14 years of age, suffered superficial injuries.

[...]Equally disturbing are reports that elements of SAF were involved in the looting of health facilities in Darfur.

On 1 September 2006, SAF soldiers looted the health centre, the pharmacy and the guesthouse of an international non-governmental organization in Hashaba North, Northern Darfur after non-governmental organizations staff were killed in crossfire.

Elsewhere, SAF Antonov aircraft bombed Bir Maza, Northern Darfur on 4 November 2006, undermining a polio vaccination campaign planned for 8 November 2006."

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Overview on security developments in 2006 ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19125]

"The country experienced several violent ethnic conflicts during the year. Despite the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) by the government and Minni Minawi's faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) on May 5, the ethnic conflict in Darfur continued. Government forces, government-aligned militia (janjaweed), and Darfur rebel groups continued to commit serious abuses during the year. Tensions and violence persisted in the south over the implementation of the CPA, and in the east, where the rebel Eastern Front signed a peace agreement with the government on October 14. The country experienced violent conflict on its western border with Chad that was, in part, a spillover of the conflict in Darfur and, in part, attributable to Chadian rebel forces based in Darfur who were opposed to the rule of Chadian President Idriss Deby. The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a Ugandan rebel movement, allegedly made incursions into southern Sudan late in the year and attacked and killed civilians. "

Document(s): Open document

01.2007 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Darfur: Thousands of civilians displaced by increased fighting and bomb attacks by government forces in 2006 ("World Report 2007") [ID 19065]

"The May peace agreement provoked increased fighting among the rebel factions and between the Sudanese government and non-signatory rebel groups. Tens of thousands of civilians were displaced by the increased fighting in 2006 and joined the almost two million displaced people already residing in camps around Darfur. Chadian civilians in eastern Chad also came under increasing attack from Sudanese government-backed militias based in Darfur.
Inter-factional fighting between two of the larger SLA factions (SLA-Minawi and the SLA faction lead by Abdul Wahid Mohammed Nour) increased in the lead up to and following the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement, apparently due to efforts by both groups to expand or retain control over territory. Fighting between the two SLA factions affected villages around Korma town in April and around the Tawila area in July, both locations in north Darfur. Both groups were responsible for incidents of killings, torture and rape of civilians perceived to be supporters of the other faction, and several thousand civilians were displaced by the clashes.
Attacks by Sudanese government forces also increased in 2006, and the government reneged on earlier commitments to end offensive military flights over Darfur. The Sudanese air force repeatedly used its Antonov aircraft and helicopter gunships to re- supply the army and militia forces and indiscriminately bombed civilians during joint air- ground attacks. The Sudanese government made no effort to disarm the “Janjaweed,” and instead continued to incorporate many of these pro-government militiamen into paramilitary groups, such as the Border Intelligence Brigade. Government officials also continued to support local tribal militias against rebel groups and civilians in strategic areas of Darfur, such as in Gereida and Muhajariya, south Darfur.
Beginning in August 2006 the Sudanese government launched a new offensive, partly in response to attacks on government targets from a new coalition of non- signatory factions called the National Redemption Front. Sudanese government forces indiscriminately bombed villages in rural North Darfur with Antonov aircraft, causing civilian deaths, injuries and the displacement of hundreds of civilians. Militia attacks in Jebel Mun, west Darfur, at the end of October resulted in the death of at least 60 civilians, half of them children."

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20.04.2006 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

Southern Sudan: Security situation remains unstable ("10th European Country of Origin Infomation Seminar Budapest, 1 - 2 December 2005: Final Report on Sudan") [#49770],  [ID 19053]

"Also, the security situation in many regions in the South is still very unstable. So even spontaneous returns cannot be supported in many instances. The statistics about how many IDPs returned to the South are not reliable. It is also not known, how many of them came back to Khartoum again afterwards."

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10.02.2006 - Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Darfur: Security situation deteriorated since August 2005 ("UNHCR's position on Sudanese asylum-seekers from Darfur") [#44832],  [ID 18372]

"As regards Darfur, the security situation has noticeably deteriorated since
August 2005,4 in spite of some relative improvements noted in the previous months.5
Civilians continue to be targeted by fighting in Darfur. Thousands of Darfurians
driven from their homes and lands remain in IDP camps in Darfur. A recent trend is
the considerable rise in abductions, harassment, extortion and looting of civilians by
primarily Arab militia.6 Deliberate attacks by Arab and other unidentified groups,
some with apparent links to military or police or rebel groups, have been aimed at
civilians in the IDP camps, resulting in the killing of men and abduction of women,
looting of livestock, destruction of villages, destruction of crops and water supplies.7
Occupation of villages by individuals who are not past inhabitants is a growing
phenomenon. The response of the authorities has generally been tardy and lacklustre.
Women in some camps and those leaving camps to collect firewood continue to face
a high risk of sexual assault.8 Some lawyers and others involved in legal aid and
human rights networks, together with persons associated with international NGOs
have been subject to abduction, harassment and intimidation. The absence of effective
protection by the authorities has further exacerbated threats to the physical safety of
Darfurians.9 Overall, it is assessed that the security situation has not improved;"

Document(s): Open document