Press Release

December 18, 2003

· Call upon the International Community to Stop the Sudan Government’s Planned Genocide in DarFur
National Responsible Rule to Move Sudan Government to Sanity
· Appeal to Human Rights Commission Effective Intervention

In a new wave of repressing the DarFur citizens the Sudan Government’s permanent emergency law is heavily empowering local authorities, in response to government’s political frustration and administrative failure, to apply dusk-to-dawn curfew, which would lead in the war conditions of the region to property confiscation and house inspection by State guaranteed extra-judicial powers to the army, police, security, and the government-supported Janjaweed militias in all cities and villages of DarFur. In one word, the Omer Bashir military regime decided to shut out the whole region of DarFur from Sudan and the rest of the world to exercise free-hand crimes against humanity using extreme State terrorism.

These repeatedly transgressing non-constitutional measures are aimed to terrorize the innocent citizens with the fear of genocide beyond all known acts of state terrorism. Under the new curfew, government troops will arrest whoever the government takes by suspicion as leaders, members, or fifth columnists of the DarFur warring groups, burn crops, loot civilian property, torture to death, or extra-judicially kill civilians. Most of all, the African descent DarFurians will be facing the danger of genocide more than ever before.

This same reign of civil war terrors have been experienced in the South throughout the years this same military government sacked the constitutional rule of the country, cancelled nationally approved peace agreement, and escalated civil war for the sake of uncivilized jihad and tyrannous rule. The result is well-documented in millions of victims, destruction, and national mistrust.

The Sudan Human Rights Organization Cairo Office condemns in the strongest terms possible the Sudan Government’s renewed terrorism in the peaceful region of DarFur, which indicates the government’s complete failure to come to terms with the negotiating groups of DarFur through peaceful political and administrative talks.

The government’s new stretch of State violence poisons the climates of peace in the whole country: it jeopardizes the “cautious” governmental negotiations with the South, reduces the government’s “condescending” promises for a lasting peace with the other opposition groups in the North “for the so-called security reasons,” and will allow extensive application of emergency law to compromise the increasing civil society pressures for peace and democracy. Again, war efforts are used and abused by a government determined to genocide its own people.

To bring sanity to a governing group that is determined to genocide its own people, firm measures include the enforcement of national, regional, and international pressures on the Sudan Government to stop all acts of war, military curfews, and militia sponsoring and security support. A responsible government must facilitate fair negotiations within a constitutional conference assuring direct participation of the Sudanese democratic opposition, civil society groups, and military commands, the United Nations, and the IGAD peace mediators.

To expedite this process the Organization calls for establishment of a democratic transition government representing all political parties and civil society groups to solve the national problems that the Omer Bashir regime has been intentionally escalating all over the country and is obviously unwilling to handle in peace.

Sound measures by a responsible national government include mutual stoppage of the security/janjaweed actions as well as the DarFur warring operations; full accountability of criminal acts before independent judiciary, freedom of peaceful association, assembly, and the press, clear commitment to international human rights norms, regular human rights monitoring in the beleaguered regions, and immediate procession of humanitarian support and judicial compensation to the victimized communities and displaced citizens.

· SHRO-Cairo appeals to the Human Rights Commission to take effective actions to stop the planned genocide of Sudan Government troops against the innocent people of DarFur.

The Organization strongly supports the rights of the people of DarFur to live without discrimination, politico-administrative injustices, or ethnic intolerance. The Organization asks the fighting organizations to stop all acts of war in the area. A responsible Sudan Government must immediately:

• Stop all acts of war in DarFur;
• Restore peace and tranquility by firm prevention of the Janjaweed terrorist activities;
• Provide immediate humanitarian support for the displaced population;
• Ensure the immediate return of the displaced population to their Homelands in dignity and sufficiency; and
• Recognize the right of people to participate as full partners in the ongoing peace process that is aimed to enforce a comprehensive settlement to the Sudan's Crisis, indiscriminately.

*The SUNA official agency (Khartoum: December 17, 2003) affirmed the government local authorities declared curfew in the three regions of DarFur for troop action.