Arab Center for the Independence of Judiciary and Legal Profession (ACIJLP)
Cairo, 13th February 2008

The Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP) is extremely concerned by the exposure of civilians in Darfour to the worst humanitarian crisis Sudan has ever experienced, and without effective action by the international community.

Through eyewitnesses ACIJLP has documented armed militia attacks on civilians in Abu Sorouj, Abu Salea and Sarba in the West Darfour province using horses, camels and ?? under air cover provided by the Sudanese air force on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th February 2008. These attacks caused the death of nearly 209 civilians and resulted in the burning and looting of civilian property. The headquarters of Concern and the ICR organisation were burnt and hundreds of civilians fled to el-Jeneina (the capital city of the West Darfour province). Four thousand people have crossed the border into Chad.

Eyewitnesses said yesterday, 12th February 2008 that there are a large number of disguised cars, which they believe are military vehicles, moving towards el-Jeneina. ACIJLP fears that these movements are preparations for further attacks ? civilians.

These attacks constitute a flagrant violation of international law in general and of international humanitarian law in particular, especially the four Geneva conventions which oblige the parties to armed conflict not to target civilians.

ACIJLP believes that the continuation of the siege of Abu Sorooj and the prevention of investigation teams from entering the area increases the seriousness of the suffering of civilians who require humanitarian aid.

ACIJLP condemns the targeting of Sudanese civilians and calls on all parties to the conflict in Darfour to abide by international humanitarian law which prohibits the targeting of civilians and ceasefire immediately.

ACIJLP also calls on the Security Council to assume its responsibility to preserve world peace and order and compel the parties to the conflict to put an end to repeated violations against civilians in the troubled Darfour region. It also calls on the United Nations and the African Union to speed up the spread of its international forces in the Darfour region in order to protect civilians, and to conduct an immediate international inquiry into the latest violations in the Abu Sorooj, Zabo Salea and Sarba regions.

ACIJLP also calls on the Chad to renounce its decision not to accept Sudanese refugees fleeing repeated attacks in their villages, and to abide by its international obligations, in particular under the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 1951.

Names of some of those who died in the attacks

Abkar Yehya Adam, Aldoma Abdallah Yehya, Abdallah Ibrahim, Mohamed Beshir Jaboury, Abdallah Ibrahim, Kharif Yehya, Kheyran Yehya el-Doqo, Ali Jammaa Abyad, Zereqa Yehya el-Sheikh, Ismail Abkar Moussa, Abdel Rahman Abdallah Moussa, Ahmed Mohamed el-Nour, Adam Daktoor Idriss, Bekheit Abdel Nabi Idriss, Adam Ishaq Mohamed, Yehya Ali Azo, Abdallah Nasr Omar, Adam Ishaq Ali, Ibrahim Lameddin, Omar Tojary Qord, Abdel Rassoul Daynaq, Ismail Moussa, Adam Abdallah Matar, Zeriqa Daoud, Mohamed Abdel Hamid Bahr, Fadl Ibrahim, Jendeela Abdallah.