RIGHTS EXPERT CALLS FOR URGENT ACTION TO STOP MILITIAS’ DESTRUCTION OF FOOD, WATER RESOURCES IN WESTERN DARFUR

9 July 2004

The Special Rapporteur on the right to food of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights issued the following statement today:

The Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler, is deeply concerned about the activities of rebel militias, allegedly with links to the Government, which have destroyed food and water resources in the Jabal Marrah area in West Darfur, Sudan. He is also concerned that humanitarian organizations are still being denied access to the most affected areas.

The right to food is protected under both international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The Special Rapporteur urges the Government to take immediate steps to lift restrictions on humanitarian operations and to ensure their safety, as well as that of the civilian population, in particular the estimated 200,000 internally displaced persons.

Among the displaced, only around 120,000 are registered in camps. Despite continued violence throughout Darfur, the Special Rapporteur is concerned that the Government is urging the displaced population to return to their homes, where agricultural areas, crops, livestock and drinking water installations have been destroyed. The Special Rapporteur also condemns the cross-border raids by the Janjaweed militias against Sudanese refugees in Chad.

Recalling that international cooperation for the realization of the right to food is an obligation of all States, the Special Rapporteur is also gravely concerned that, despite numerous appeals by United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the donor community has not come up with a level of assistance commensurate with the scale of the crisis. In two weeks, the rainy season will cut off access to many of the communities in West Darfur, the region worst affected by the conflict. The rainy season and flooding will also give rise to diarrhoeal diseases and malarial incidence, which all contribute to malnutrition and mortality rates.

Urgent action is needed from all parties to protect the right to food of the 1.2 million people in Darfur. The Special Rapporteur urges that the steps to be taken should include the convening of a special session of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation in Darfur.


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