JURIST - Paper Chase: Darfur rights situation dire despite peace agreement: UN report

[JURIST] The human rights situation continues to deteriorate [press release] in some parts of Darfur [JURIST news archive] despite the Darfur Peace Agreement [DS backgrounder] signed in May by the Sudanese government and the main rebel group in the region, the Sudan Liberation Movement [Globalsecurity.org backgrounder], according to a report [PDF text] released Wednesday by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Mission in Sudan [official websites]. According to the report, the government and the SLA have respected the cease-fire, but fighting between smaller rebel groups has continued. In addition, militias continue to target civilian populations, reports of sexual violence have increased and "Parties to the conflict continued to violate principles of international humanitarian law, in particular the principle of military necessity and the principle of distinction."

The organizations conclude that "without additional government support, the DPA is doomed to failure, with the population of Darfur continuing to suffer grave violations of human rights as violence among competing armed groups in Darfur persists." According to a report [PDF text] issued by the UN Mission in Sudan, overall violence in Darfur increased during the month of July. The UN News Centre has more.

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