On remembrance day for Rwanda"s Genocide Victims, UN urges Action on Darfur by Juan Méndez 12:33pm 8th Apr, 2006   7 April 2006 (UN News)    Marking 12 years since the horrific genocide in Rwanda, when at least 800,000 people were massacred, mostly butchered with machetes, for being ethnic Tutsis or Hutu moderates, the United Nations adviser on preventing such crimes today warned of similarities with what is happening in Sudan’s Darfur region, as he urged the global community to do more to stop the increasing bloodshed there.    The Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide, Juan E. Mendez, said the international community had failed by allowing the events of Rwanda to happen, and while stopping short of describing events in Darfur as genocide, he highlighted the increasing killings going on and said the situation had deteriorated markedly over the past year.    “Remembering Rwanda, debates about troop strength on the ground and about mandate of our troops on the ground are very eerily reminiscent of what happened then and we’re still debating today,” Mr. Mendez told reporters in New York, referring to ongoing discussions on how to stop the killings in Darfur, by possibly strengthening the African Union force there or putting in a UN mission.    “There’s definitely ethnic cleansing, there’s definitely crimes against humanity, there’s definitely war crimes and attacks on civilian population; all of those things should prompt the action of the international community, whether we call it genocide or not,” he added.    Since becoming the Special Adviser in July 2004, Mr. Mendez has visited Darfur twice, and made various recommendations to the Secretary-General and to the Security Council about what needs to be done in the strife-torn region, consisting of four main themes that he says should be addressed simultaneously as much as possible.    “One is protection, meaning physical protection from harm of vulnerable populations…the second one is humanitarian assistance…the third is accountability: the cycle of impunity has to be broken before the victims can expect to find conditions of security that will allow them to return…and the fourth is support for the peace process.”    Echoing today’s remarks to reporters, Mr. Mendez also wrote an Op-Ed on the 12th year commemoration that was published by several European and Asian newspapers, in which he also stressed that despite international obligations – such as the 1948 Genocide Convention – the global response continues to fall short of what is required.    “We cannot claim to have learned the lessons of the 1994 Rwandan genocide if our action in the face of genocidal violence remains half-hearted. Action is particularly needed in Darfur, where the threat of genocide continues to loom large,” he wrote.    Elsewhere in the world commemorations to mark the Rwandan massacres took on a similar sombre tone, including a minute’s silence for the victims in a gathering at the UN Office in Nairobi, Kenya, and further calls to the world community to make sure such horror never gets repeated.    “If the international community had acted promptly and with determination, it could have stopped most of the killing. But the political will was not there, nor were the troops,” the Deputy Executive Director of UN Habitat, Inga Björk-Klevby, told UN and other officials, echoing the words of the Secretary-General in a speech he made in 2004 marking the Memorial Conference on the Rwanda Genocide.    “If the United Nations, government officials, the international media and other observers had paid more attention to the gathering signs of disaster, and taken timely action, it might have been averted.”    In Geneva, the UN Under-Secretary-General Sergei Ordzhonikidze expressed similar sentiments at a ceremony at the Palais des Nations, describing the events of 1994 as a “stark reminder to the world, of the dangers that prejudice and discrimination can breed.”    April 7, 2006    On Day of Reflection on Rwandan Genocide, Africa Action urges International Intervention in Darfur.    Africa Action today marked the International Day of Reflection on the Rwandan genocide by emphasizing the urgent need for action on the continuing genocide in Darfur. On this day, when the international community pledges its commitment to avoiding another tragedy like that of Rwanda 12 years ago, the crisis in Darfur continues to grow. Africa Action notes the mounting security concerns and increasing humanitarian crisis in Darfur, and urges the United Nations (UN) Security Council to overcome obstacles to the rapid authorization of a multinational peacekeeping mission in Darfur.    Ann-Louise Colgan, Director of Policy Analysis & Communications at Africa Action, said today, “As the situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate, the international community must take immediate and vigorous measures to bring about a multinational peacekeeping mission with the mandate to protect civilians. The expedited planning for a future UN mission, recently authorized by a Security Council resolution, will produce options for action on April 24. Now the duty of the international community lies in ensuring that these plans, and related diplomatic efforts, yield an immediate protection force for the people of Darfur.”    Africa Action notes that the month of April provides a new opportunity for the necessary international action on Darfur. With UN planning moving ahead, the Sudanese government’s expulsion this week of the non-governmental organization managing the largest camp for internally displaced persons in Darfur has sparked international outrage. This act exemplifies the need for determined international action and increased diplomatic pressure on this crisis. UN humanitarian chief Jan Egeland warned this week that, if international resolve flags, gains in humanitarian aid access made in 2005 are likely to be lost in the coming year, with disastrous consequences for the people of Darfur.    5 April 2006    Sudan: UN concerned for 90,000 displaced people after aid group asked to leave.    Living conditions for 90,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the conflict ridden Darfur region of Sudan are likely to get worse after Sudanese authorities asked the Norwegian non-governmental organization that was coordinating the largest IDP camp to leave, the top United Nations relief official said today, just a few days after authorities banned him from visiting the impoverished region.    Expressing his dismay at the decision against the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland said it highlighted a trend of increasing constraints imposed upon humanitarian workers from the UN and NGOs, warning that the situation in Kalma camp would likely deteriorate as a result of the NRC being asked to go.    “The NRC has been doing an excellent job, as acknowledged by not only its humanitarian partners and the donors but also by many local authorities. Kalma used to be a disorganized area…Thanks to the work of NRC and its UN and NGO partners, it"s now a well-managed camp where all the critical needs are being met, and tensions are managed effectively,” stated Mr. Egeland.    “With no one to replace the NRC, I fear that conditions for the 90,000 people in the camp will worsen. Tensions are likely to rise among the IDPs who looked to NRC for help and to resolve problems, particularly with local authorities,” he added.    “It is just one example of the rising levels of restrictions that the 14,000 aid workers in Darfur and in many other parts of Sudan face every day.” Such restrictions range from long delays in exit and re-entry visas for NGO staff, unjustified interference in the recruitment of staff, to delays clearing imported humanitarian goods and equipment. “    The rise in these restrictions in recent months unfortunately reminds me of the early part of 2004. We must have the full cooperation of the Government at all levels to be able to carry out life-saving work in Darfur and other parts of Sudan. Those who will suffer the most if we don’t are the millions of Sudanese citizens who urgently need humanitarian relief,” Mr. Egeland warned.
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