I. INTRODUCTION
1. This report covers the period of
December 2005 to April 2006,1 and is issued by the Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights (OHCHR) in cooperation with the United Nations Mission
in the Sudan (UNMIS). It is the third report issued jointly by OHCHR and
UNMIS.2 The report covers seven human rights issues:
- The impact of the conflict in Darfur
on civilians and the Government of Sudan's inability and unwillingness
to hold perpetrators of international crimes accountable;
- The persistence of sexual and gender-based
violence in Darfur;
- The ill-treatment, detention, and harassment
of people who voice their human rights concerns in the Sudan;
- The problem of torture and cruel, inhuman,
and degrading treatment in detention facilities in Khartoum and Darfur;
- Reforming the Government's security
apparatus to prevent it from committing human rights violations with impunity;
- The problem of Other Armed Groups (OAGs)
in Southern Sudan and the three Transitional Areas (Abyei, Southern Kordofan,
and Blue Nile States);
- Emerging human rights issues in Eastern Sudan.
The report is not intended to be comprehensive. It offers several recommendations aimed at addressing the human rights problems noted in this report.
2. The factual information in this report was gathered by UNMIS Human Rights Officers who monitor, document, and report on human rights violations and abuses. The report is primarily based on direct investigations and information collected from victims, witnesses, and Government authorities. The human rights mandate of UNMIS is derived from two main sources. The Government of Sudan and the United Nations signed a joint communiqué in July 2004 that committed the Government to allow the deployment of human rights monitors in Darfur. The second source of the mandate was set out in Security Council resolution 1590 (2005), which established UNMIS and called on it to ensure an adequate human rights presence, capacity and expertise to carry out human rights promotion, civilian protection, and monitoring activities.
3. In addition to its fieldwork, UNMIS brings human rights concerns to the attention of national and local authorities and provides them with recommendations. The human rights component of UNMIS also organizes and leads human rights training and capacity - and institution-building activities. It provides advisory services to civil society, the Government, legal professionals, and the judiciary, and submits reports and provides information to the UN Secretary-General, his Special Representative, OHCHR, and the broader international community. In support of the work of the UNMIS Human Rights Unit, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Sudan, Mr. Jan Pronk, has taken an active role in speaking out on human rights issues, including attacks on civilians in Darfur, violence against women, forced relocations of internally displaced persons, media censorship, and UNMIS access to detention facilities.
4. As of early April 2006 there were 76 UNMIS Human Rights Officers. The majority of them were located in the four UNMIS Darfur field offices in El Fasher (North Darfur), El Geneina and Zalingei (both in West Darfur), and Nyala (South Darfur). Human Rights Offices were also open and staffed in Juba and Abyei in the south of Sudan, and in Kassala in Eastern Sudan. The headquarters office was located in Khartoum.
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