U.N. experts recommend Sudan sanctions
*Sudan
By NICK WADHAMS, Associated Press 09.29.06
A panel of experts has recommended that the Security Council impose sanctions on Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and other top government officials, Qatar's U.N. ambassador said Friday.
The experts sent the list to the Security Council with an Aug. 31 report that found all sides in the Darfur conflict continue to commit "blatant violations" of a council arms embargo.
The names on the list have not been made public. But the Qatari Ambassador Nassir Al-Nassir said "top people in the government" were on it and charged that the experts were trying to spoil the peace process. Asked to elaborate, he made clear that al-Bashir was on the list.
"If we bring a list of the president and the government to the council as a criminal, how can we solve the problem of Sudan? I just want an answer," he said.
Asked again whether al-Bashir was in fact on the list, he said: "Everybody is on the list."
Al-Nassir questioned the use of imposing sanctions on government officials at a time when the United Nations is negotiating with them over the expansion of an African Union force trying to stem continued violence in Darfur. The Security Council has demanded that the U.N. take over peacekeeping in Darfur, but Sudan has refused.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric refused to comment on Al-Nassir's claims about the contents of the list.
At least 200,000 people have died and some 2 million have been displaced since the start of a 2003 revolt by rebels from Darfur's ethnic African population. The Arab-dominated Sudanese government is alleged to have responded to the revolt by unleashing the Arab militias, known as the janjaweed against ethnic African villagers.
The August report by the U.N. panel of experts said the rebels appear to have gained strength since March, while the government continues to supply weapons to janjaweed who have been accused of the worst atrocities in Darfur.
In April, the Security Council slapped sanctions on four men involved in the Darfur conflict, the first-ever such penalties imposed in the violence. The four, including a former air force commander, a janjaweed chief and two rebel commanders — are accused of helping orchestrate and carry out killings, rape and other rights abuses in Darfur.
That came after the Security Council adopted a resolution in March 2005 authorizing an asset freeze and travel ban on individuals who defy peace efforts, violate international human rights law, or are responsible for military overflights in Darfur.
The resolution also authorized the panel to help monitor the arms embargo in Darfur that was expanded to include the government as well as the rebels in an attempt to end the conflict.
The latest report noted that the Sudanese government has not implemented any of the financial sanctions against the four called for in the Security Council resolution. The document said Sudan's government has "willfully avoided implementing this resolution."
The government continues to arm the janjaweed, which have upgraded their weapons from "horses, camels and AK-47's to land cruisers, pickup trucks and RPGs," or rocket-propelled grenades, the report said.
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said sanctions might help win Sudan's approval for an overhauled peacekeeping force in Darfur.
"One could make the argument that consideration of sanctions might have a positive effect on reaching agreement with the government of Sudan," Bolton said. "We've never had any hesitation about seeking sanctions when the evidence was there against anybody who committed the offenses that the panel of experts is studying."
Last year, the same panel of experts recommended that 51 people be prosecuted for war crimes, including senior government officials. But council members could not agree on any names beyond the four already under sanction.