Torture And Cruel Or Inhuman Treatment Widely Meted Out Against Massaleit Civilians By A Sudanese Military Force (12/24/2001)

Purportedly to restore peace, a special Sudanese force was deployed to western Sudan. This force, mischievously named 'peace force' or Kuwat al Salaam, operates under emergency laws and is seemingly accountable to no one; it operates as it chooses. The government claims that this force was on a temporary assignment to separate the 'feuding tribes' in western Sudan, after which it would proceed to the South to finish off the main enemy-its ultimate mission. However, the reality is, not surprisingly, far from said pronouncements.

The 'peace force' or Kuwat al Salaam has worsened the already appalling human rights situation in western Sudan. It has collaborated with Arab militias in committing despicable crimes against Massaleit and members of other African ethnic groups. Several Massaleit civilians have been arrested, tortured or subjected to cruel or inhuman treatment by the special force and the Arab militias. Massaleit women have been systematically raped, and some men have been killed while trying to protect their families. The following is a brief account of some cases of torture and cruel or inhuman treatment that have come to our attention. Some of the names of the victims have not been revealed for their safety (more information could be provided upon request).

Ismael Ishag from Sertia village was arrested by the government forces in August ofthis year and taken to Mistere military camp for interrogation. The military accused him of being an anti-government activist. He was beaten to death on the day of his arrest and his body was buried in the camp.

Abdu Ahmed Abdallah was killed at his home in Mangu residential area of Mastere town on October 5, 2001. Sudanese military men shot him dead because he tried to stop them from raping his wife. Rape of Massaleit women has become common in the context of the race-based/motivated war in western Sudan. Such a crime is a manifestation of the genocidal practices oft-used by Sudanese government forces and proxy militias against groups they label as their enemies. The international tribunal for Rwanda has rightfully declared that rape directed at women because of their ethnicity is an act of genocide. (The Guardian Weekly, Thursday December 20 to December 26, 2001 vol. 165/no 26)

Khatir (not true name) from Tome village was arrested and taken by military men to Mastere camp. He was accused of possessing a gun illegally. Even when a gun was not found, he was tortured and subjected to cruel treatment. He was badly beaten and his testes were crushed with pliers. Although released alive, he was a wrecked, severely traumatized person.

Gassi (not true name) from a Massaleit village south of Geneina town was tried by a military court and sentenced to a fifteen-year jail term in 1998. His crime was not clear, but it was known that he was an opposition activist. He is jailed in Kober prison under appalling conditions. Prisoners are routinely tortured, and the lucky ones released often need medical attention or prolonged family support to regain mental balance.

Adam (not true name) from Fangangta village also was sentenced by a military court to a long jail term in Kober prison in 1998.

Children, especially males, were not spared the cruelty. Arab militiamen attacked the village of Dita and killed a baby in a brutal manner in August of this year. A women who had recently delivered was captured by the militiamen while trying to escape the burning and looting. The militia removed the cover from the baby and discovered that it was a boy. They seized the baby by the legs and hit him against a nearby tree. The remains were thrown into a blazing house.

Furthermore in the same month, a group of Arab militiamen attacked another village (Kasia) and slaughtered two babies. They caught a women who had given birth to twins (8 days old) while escaping. The two babies were removed from their mother when they discovered they were males and lowered into boiling water with their heads down. Then they left the bodies in the compound.

On December 18, 2001, during Eid El Fitr, Arab militias attacked Korkore village- located about three kilometers from Gokar military camp- and killed six persons. Their names: Moktar Yacoub, Ishag Matar Mohamad, Osman Mohamad Matar Mohamad, Yahya Juma Adam, Gamal Adam Musa, Arbab Abdallah. In addition,roughly ten persons were injured in the attack, among them Hallom Yacoub and Juma Yacoub. The timing of the attack is eerily reminiscent of the Massaleit massacres in the Eid el Fitr of 1999 when Arab Militias, who claim to be better Muslims, slaughtered thousands of Massaleit Muslims because of their African identity.

Such rampant brutalities are perpetrated on a regular basis, away from the eyes of the world-both because of the difficulties of access to western Sudan and the presence of an active government propaganda campaign. These crimes can only end when pressure is brought to bear on the Sudanese government to respect the rights of its people vis a vis the activities of its soldiers and proxies (Arab militias). Thus, an international/multi-pronged monitoring mechanism will be an essential part of solving the human rights crisis in western Sudan.