Mick Hartley

The Khartoum regime demonstrate their commitment to the peace process in Darfur:

The Sudanese authorities have given a senior government position to a man accused of co-ordinating the Janjaweed Arab militia in Darfur.

Federal Affairs Minister Abdel Basit Sabderat said clan leader Musa Hilal had been named as his adviser.

The US State Department and human rights groups say Mr Hilal is a leader of the Janjaweed, which is accused of committing war crimes in Darfur…

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has strongly condemned Mr Hilal’s appointment.

“Musa Hilal is the poster child for Janjaweed atrocities in Darfur,” said HRW’s Richard Dicker.

“Rewarding him with a special government post is a slap in the face to Darfur victims and to the UN Security Council,” he said, pointing out that Mr Hilal was under a UN travel ban for his role in Darfur.

Update: at the HRW website:

The reported appointment of notorious “Janjaweed” leader Musa Hilal as special advisor to President Omar El Bashir of Sudan is a stunning affront to victims of Janjaweed atrocities in Darfur, Human Rights Watch said today. The appointment of Hilal, who is subject to a United Nations travel ban for his role in Darfur, comes less than two weeks before an African Union summit where Bashir is due to meet with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and it underscores the urgent need to put justice high up on the agenda…

According to research by Human Rights Watch, Hilal and his men played an integral role in the two-year campaign of ethnic cleansing by the Sudanese army and Janjaweed militia. Scores of victims, witnesses to attacks, and even members of the Sudanese armed forces have named Hilal as the top commander of government-backed Janjaweed militias responsible for numerous atrocities in Darfur in 2003 and 2004. Hilal was named by the US State Department as early as July 2004 as one of six militia leaders alleged to be responsible for serious crimes in Darfur. The UN Security Council imposed travel bans and asset freezes on Hilal and three others on April 22, 2006…

Human Rights Watch research shows that Hilal was actively involved with training camps for Janjaweed, and that he and his men participated in several large attacks on North Darfur villages in 2003 and 2004. A government document obtained by Human Rights Watch specifically named Hilal, ordering all security units to “allow the activities of the mujaheedin and the volunteers under the command of Sheikh Musa Hilal to proceed.”

“Musa Hilal’s promotion is Sudan’s latest challenge to the international community and its commitment to the victims of Darfur,” said Dicker. “It is not the first example of Khartoum promoting alleged war criminals instead of prosecuting them.”