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Cairo, 25th
August 2008
The Arab Center for
the Independence of the Judiciary and the Legal Profession (ACIJLP)
expresses its extreme concern about the increase in civilians
facing a new humanitarian crisis in Darfour, and without any
real action by the international community.
ACIJLP received
news about civilians being subjected to attacks by Sudanese
government forces in the “Kalma” camp for forcibly displaced
people in south Darfour on 25th August 2008. More
than 170,000 displaced people live in the camp.
These attacks
resulted in the killing for nearly 170 civilians and hundreds of
injuries to women and children. They also resulted in the
civilians’ belongings being burnt and plundered. This is in
addition to the destruction of the headquarters of a
humanitarian organisation working in the camp, "El Amal" Center
for Medical Treatment and Legal Consultation.
Eyewitnesses who were
in the “Kalma” camp on 25th August state that a
number of military vehicles foot soldiers took part in the
attacks. The camp remains under a military cordon:
correspondents and news agencies have been prevented from
covering these events.
These attacks are a
serious violation of international law in general, and
international humanitarian law in particular, especially Common
Article 3 of the Four Geneva Conventions which obliges parties
to an armed conflict to refrain from attacking civilians.
ACIJLP condemns
the targeting of Sudanese civilians in Darfour, and calls on the
Sudanese government to abide by the provisions of international
humanitarian law on unarmed civilians and immediately stop the
violations being committed in the “Kalma” camp.
ACIJLP also
calls on the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to
intervene in order to document the violations which occurred
today and conduct an urgent criminal inquiry into the most
recent violations in the “Kalma” camp for internally displaced
people. |
