In Sudan, Annan hears reports of 'gross and systematic' abuses of human rights
Sudanese refugees living in Chad told United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday that they fled the Darfur region because the notorious Janjaweed militias were committing "gross and systematic" human rights abuses against them and they feared for their lives.
On the final day of a three-day visit to the troubled region, Annan met some of the 15,000 refugees living at a site near Iridimi, one of eight UN safe camps in eastern Chad.
Representatives of the refugees told him "they were attacked, they fled aggression [and] there were serious violations of human rights - gross and systematic ones. And they had to flee for their lives," he said after the meeting.
The Secretary-General said none of the refugees in Chad or the internally displaced within Darfur should be forced or encouraged to return to their home villages until it is safe to return.
"Security is paramount for all of them and of course that would have to be assured before they go back," he said.
Ahead of a meeting with Sudanese President Omar Hassan Al Bashir in Khartoum tonight to discuss the humanitarian crisis and the militia attacks across Darfur, Annan stressed the importance of reaching a political solution for the region - which is about the size of France.
During Annan's visit to Iridimi, thousands of refugees sat or stood in a semi-circle while holding placards that read "Stop the ethnic cleansing and the genocide" and "Security first, then voluntary return."
Annan met female community leaders and spoke to non-governmental organization (NGO) staff working at Iridimi. He was also briefed by Haroun Saleh, Governor of Chad's Ouaddie province, on the impact of the huge influx of refugees.
About 170,000 refugees have fled to Chad and more than a million others are internally displaced within Darfur, largely because of attacks by the Janjaweed, Arab militias, against local black Africans. The Sudanese Government and the militias are also fighting two rebel groups.
Yesterday, after meeting Chadian President Idriss Deby, Annan said the international community is not providing aid and support at a rate fast enough to meet the crisis.
UN agencies estimate that at least 2 million people in Darfur need humanitarian relief, including basic food aid, because of the conflict.