Submitted by crinadmin on
On Wednesday, 27 September 2006, the Human Rights Council discussed the reports of its Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights in the Sudan. Sima Samar, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Sudan, said that following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005, Sudan had embarked on a difficult path of peace building, reconciliation and reconstruction. In 2005, a new Government of National Unity was formed and a new interim national Constitution was adopted containing a bill of rights. Later in the year, the Southern Sudan Legislation Assembly was formed. The Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan was adopted in December 2005. That put in place a framework for the protection of human rights. Since the formation of the Government of National Unity, the people had seen little change in their everyday life – the emergency laws were still in place in Darfur and the East and were also applied in Khartoum, people were arbitrarily arrested and held incommunicado by security forces; torture, ill-treatment and killings of civilians continued. Discrimination and marginalisation of certain groups continued and basic rights such as access to food, shelter, health and education were not guaranteed. The right to life continued to be violated, in particular in Darfur. Killings and harassment of civilians in villages and internally displaced person camps continued. The perpetrators were government forces, militia and armed groups such as rebel factions and Chadian opposition. The Government had failed in its responsibility to protect the population from attacks in areas where it had control. In rebel-held area, there were breaches of the ceasefire agreements by all parties and violations of obligations under international humanitarian law had exacerbated the suffering. Many civilians had been killed and displaced. In Southern Sudan, outside the towns, insecurity continued due to the absence of the rule of law and the presence of different armed groups. Rape and sexual violence against women continued, in particular in Darfur. Among her recommendations, the Special Rapporteur urged all parties to cease all hostilities, comply with the peace agreements and enter into an inclusive dialogue process to resolve the conflict peacefully.