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Jan 29, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — The official spokesman for the Sudan’s Foreign Ministry, Jamal Mohamed Ibrahim, has slammed the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report regarding the deterioration of human rights in Darfur and other parts of Sudan.
The UN human rights agency denounced Sudan’s government on Friday 27 January for considerable shortcomings, including allegations of torture, appalling prison conditions and attacks on civilians in Darfur.
He said that the report would give the wrong signal to the negotiating sides in Abuja and would increase their inflexibility towards achieving peace in Darfur.
The Sudanese official affirmed that the ministry had received the 42-page report from the Office of the UNHCHR and that the ministry had begun studying and analysing the report ahead of issuing a clear statement on its position towards it.
Ibrahim said that such reports, under such circumstances, at a time when there was positive and tangible progress in the Abuja negotiations would send wrong signals to the sides negotiating with the government and would increase their inflexibility.
The UNHCR considered "efforts to improve the situation on the ground have fallen short of aspirations" since some "initiatives have been superficially and inadequately implemented".
The security service, military intelligence and police routinely tortured suspects in Khartoum, the rapporteurs concluded, while "the absence of fair trial guarantees as well as inhuman detention conditions are of serious concern."
Ibrahim further criticized the report for ignoring many important developments which occurred at the end of last year in particular the setting up of courts in Darfur to look into human rights violations.
"The work these courts are now carrying out is completely independent from the executive organs," he added.
He further pointed out that the UN mission admitted that there was positive development in the human right situation in Darfur.
The UN body said the government must "install an active, professional, well-trained law enforcement system in Darfur with adequate resources" and "must allow civil society to function freely, with restrictions on the media, political parties and unions being the exception rather than the rule."
(ST)
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