Madam, - Atrocities in Darfur, Sudan continue unchecked. Amnesty International's interviews with refugees from fleeing across the border to Eastern Chad show that the risk to civilians is greater now than at any time since the conflict started, as all sides - armed groups as well as government forces and government-backed militia - are now involved in attacking civilians with impunity.
The African Union's peacekeeping mission is scheduled to leave at the end of September, and the Sudanese government is resistant to accepting a UN peacekeeping mission in its place. The recently signed Darfur Peace Agreement does not provide effective measures for protecting civilians and in any case, it is disputed and unlikely to be implemented fully in the near future. Consequently, the civilian population could be left totally unprotected, making them particularly vulnerable to attacks in a highly volatile situation.
Janjaweed militia, responsible for committing human rights abuses in Darfur for over two years, are now committing the same atrocities in Eastern Chad against refugees and the local Chadian population. If left unaddressed, a major human rights and humanitarian disaster could engulf the sub-region.
Amnesty International welcomes plans by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern to travel to the region (The Irish Times, June 13th). It is essential that he uses this important opportunity to advance plans for a UN peacekeeping mission to be deployed as soon as possible with a strong protection mandate and adequate resources to protect civilians from attacks by the Janjaweed, the Sudanese forces and armed groups in Darfur.
The Minister must impress on the UN Security Council the urgent need to protect civilians and to impose targeted sanctions on Sudanese officials if they obstruct the deployment of the UN force and otherwise contribute to abuses of civilians.
The visit should also be used to press the Sudanese government to allow human rights organisations such as Amnesty International to have access to Darfur; to prevent the spread of human rights abuse to refugees and displaced in Chad; to address the specific issues in relation to gender-based violence where women and girls continue to suffer horrific sexual attacks; and to stop the flow of arms through enforcement of the arms embargo. - Yours, etc,
COLM Ó CUANACHÁIN, Secretary General, Amnesty International Irish Section, Dublin 2.