Sept. 27
SUDAN:
Darfur militiamen get death sentences
In Khartoum, a court in Sudan's troubled Darfur region has sentenced three
militiamen to death and 6 others to up to 5 years in prison for murder and
pillage, the pro-government Sudanese Media Centre said on Sunday.
"The 3 militiamen were sentenced to death by hanging after they were found
guilty of murder, pillage, arson and illegal possession of arms in South
Darfur state," the news agency said.
"6 others were sentenced to prison terms of between 3 and 5 years for
involvement in the same crimes," it said without giving further details.
40 more people are due to be tried in the next couple of days for similar
crimes at the special court in the state capital of Nyala, it added.
'40 more people are due to be tried in the next couple of days' The
Khartoum government set up the court to try pro-government militiamen
accused of crimes in Darfur, after undertaking in June to disarm the
militias and bring those responsible for human rights violations to
justice.
In July, 200 militiamen accused of ethnic cleansing in Darfur were tried
by the same court with some receiving death sentences.
The fighters from different Arab tribes were found guilty of waging war,
assault and armed robbery.
The Sudanese government in August gave the United Nations a list of 30 of
its militia and police allies in Darfur suspected of having committed
serious human rights abuses, including rape.
"The government does not deny that human rights abuses occur and it will
not protect those who commit them," Justice Minister Ali Mohammed Osman
Yassin said at the time.
Despite the government's undertakings, the crisis in Darfur continues to
simmer, with those in displaced persons' camps continuing to accuse the
militias of serious abuses.
The United Nations has called Darfur the world's worst current
humanitarian crisis, and the United States and Germany have described the
brutal campaign waged by state-sponsored Arab militias in Darfur as
"genocide".
The bloodshed began in February 2003 when rebels rose up against Khartoum
to demand an end to the marginalisation of their region - mainly peopled
by non-Arab minorities and one of the poorest in Sudan.
The Sudanese government's response to the uprising was to give Arab
militias known as the Janjaweed a free rein to crack down on the rebels
and their suspected supporters in minority villages.
(sources: South Africa Press Agency & Agence France Presse)
