Amnesty International (AI) has called on the United Nations Security Council to extend its mandate of the peacekeeping mission in Darfur, Sudan, by at least six months.
The rights group made the call following claims that government security forces have failed to protect civilians in recent months.
AI said in a statement that more than 70 people, including farmers and the internally displaced people (IDPs), were killed by members of armed groups between July and September 2020 in Masterei.
The organisation also noted that at least another 78 people were injured in armed attacks in this period, while looting and burning of houses, markets and shops was commonplace as thousands of people were displaced in Darfur.
The UN Security Council approved the establishment of the UNITAMS to replace the Darfur-focused UNAMID peacekeeping force.
UNITAMS, according to UN, will support the political transition in Sudan, the implementation of the recent peace agreement, rule of law and civilian protection, and national peacebuilding efforts.
‘With UNAMID’s mandate due to end at the close of the year, and UNITAMS, which is meant to replace it still not yet staffed or operationalised, Amnesty International is concerned for future civilian protection in Darfur, particularly given the national security forces’ failure to step up and protect civilians from attacks in recent months, we fear a security vacuum may arise with disastrous consequences for the people of Darfur’, said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International’s Director for East and Southern Africa.
In July, about 10,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Fata Borno began a sit-in protest to demand better security, protection of their crops, and the sacking of officials affiliated with former President Omar Al-Bashir.
But they were attacked by an armed group.
‘Some were on foot, some were riding horses, motorcycles, and cars. They were carrying all types of weapons’, AI quoted an observer as saying.
‘Some wore uniforms like those of the Rapid Support Force, others were wearing brown camouflage uniforms.
‘The attackers belong to many tribes, but we call them Janjaweed; we know some of them by name and we reported them to the police’.
Muchena has called on the Sudanese government to ensure that the Darfur people are not abandoned and that the national forces are adequately equipped and trained to respect, protect, and fulfil human rights.
‘The government must also ensure its forces and their allied armed groups are held accountable for any violations under international human rights laws, and international humanitarian law’, Muchena said.
Source: Amnesty International
Photo source: United Nations Photo