Sudanese government 'failing to halt Darfur violence'

The Sudanese government has failed to stop marauding Arab militias from terrorising civilians in Darfur, a human rights group said today, despite promises to the international community that the government would disarm militias and bring the humanitarian crisis under control.

Human Rights Watch said that Sudanese armed forces and Janjaweed militias continued to target civilians and their livestock in rural areas, in towns and in camps under government control. The group alleged that, rather than bringing militia members to justice, the government had legitimised the Janjaweed by incorporating them into police and other security forces that could be used to secure proposed "safe areas" for displaced civilians.