Daily Darfur: Rape as a Weapon of War, and Orchestrated IDP Visits

Physicians for Human Rights, in partnership with Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, released a report on the alarmingly high prevalence of sexual violence experienced by women who fled the conflict in Darfur. The study, which was conducted in the Farchana refugee camp in Chad, found that about a third of the women made "confirmed or highly probable" accusations of rape (claims were supported by a medical study), with about half of the rapes occurring in Darfur, and the rest after arrival in Chad.

The report aimed to track the long-term effects of sexual violence on the refugees --- many of whom fled to Chad during the peak of the violence, from 2003 - 2005 --- but also catalogued new evidence of on-going violence against women in the camp setting:

"What is striking is the extent of rape and fear of rape in Chad itself," said Susannah Sirkin, deputy director of Physicians for Human Rights. "So it's a two-fold revelation of real horror and shame and sorrow, and really of failure."

PHR called for the International Criminal Court to prosecute the use of rape as a war crime in Darfur, and urged greater protection for refugees in Chad. (The Sudanese government denies the systematic use of rape in Darfur.)

In his op-ed, after reading the report, New York Times columnist Bob Herbert warns against growing numb "to the unending reports of atrocities occurring all around the globe."

Anyone interested in peace? Anyone?

The newly-dubbed "E6 Envoys" --- from the US, UK, France, China, Russia, and the European Union --- met in Qatar last week, and urged Chad and Sudan to use "exercise restraint" in their historically-less-than-neighborly relations. (I'm sure they'll get right on that.)

The envoys were in Doha to participate in renewed talks between the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudanese government...which seem to have the effect of distracting everyone while Khartoum continues to exercise its Air Force.

Where have I seen this before...

Meanwhile, while political theater continues on the world stage, Darfur's internally displaced complain of a "lack of serious steps by the international community despite the deteriorating humanitarian situation."

Abu Sharati [a spokesman for the IDPs] further said that US officials who visited the region recently did not visit the camps to assess the humanitarian situation there nor to meet the IDPs. "The IDPs ask the US envoy to Sudan and other officials to visit them and to listen to their demands. Because the objective of these visits is to assess the humanitarian situation which is worsening day-after-day since the eviction of the 13 main international aid groups from the region."

"They are not tourists," he further added.

US Special Envoy Scott Gration, Senator John Kerry and Senators Isakson and Bob Corker visited the region and some IDPs camps selected by Sudanese officials.

Abu Sharati said the people they met as IDPs representatives are pro-government people who are fake IDPs.

Déjà vu? Sounds remarkably like orchestrated Red Cross visits to concentration camps in Nazi Germany.

[Photo from PHR's Flickr stream: Sheikhas listen to the investigators explaining the project. (Karen Hirschfeld) ]