Sudan: UN rights official says Darfur's displaced live in 'prisons without walls'

Most of the vast population of displaced people in Sudan's Darfur region "are living in prisons without walls," and yet the Sudanese Government continues to deny the scale and gravity of what is happening there, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said after returning from a visit to the strife-torn region.

Louise Arbour, who spent a week in Darfur with the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Juan Méndez, said they heard graphic stories from internally displaced persons (IDPs) about attacks by armed militias known as the Janjaweed.

About 1.45 million people are IDPs and another 200,000 are refugees in neighbouring Chad because of Janjaweed attacks against civilians and fighting between Sudanese Government forces and two local rebel groups.

Mrs. Arbour said the IDPs cannot imagine returning to their homes because they do not trust that the Government will protect them from further attacks by the Janjaweed.

"At best they feel the authorities respond inadequately to their concerns, and at worst that they are in collusion with their abusers," she said on Saturday.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan dispatched Mrs. Arbour and Mr. Méndez to Darfur to probe what action is necessary to better protect civilians there, especially the most vulnerable IDPs. The two officials are expected to submit their report, with recommendations, to Mr. Annan next week and are also slated to brief the Security Council.

Mrs. Arbour and Mr. Méndez said there was a considerable gap between the Government on one side and the IDPs and humanitarian agencies on the other about the situation in Darfur.

"There is an obvious disconnect in the way the Government sees the situation. This is most obvious and worrisome in the official denial of the extent and gravity of rape and sexual violence against women in Darfur," Mrs. Arbour said.

Mr. Méndez said the presence of monitors from the African Union (AU) has improved security in the region and called for an expansion of the AU force to prevent "further massive and widespread violations."

Meanwhile, High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers - who is midway through a visit to the region - said zero violence is necessary before the people of Darfur will feel it is safe to go home. Mr. Lubbers also urged the Sudanese Government to work together with international aid agencies to help rebuild confidence.