The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) reported on Monday concerning a massive increase in attacks on human rights activists and dissidents in western Sudan. "For weeks, random acts of violence have been on the rise in Darfur," said the head of the Africa section at the STP, Ulrich Delius, in Göttingen. "While human rights activists, journalists and students are being arrested in western Sudan, the world is turning its back on Darfur." The war that looms in South Sudan overshadows the dramatic worsening of the situation in western Sudan.

The government in Khartoum systematically attempts to downplay the seriousness of the situation in Darfur. In advance of 19 December 2010 they hope to give an impression of ending the conflict in Darfur by signing a peace treaty with the "Liberation and Justice Movement" (LJM) in Doha (Qatar), a militarily relatively insignificant group. "But as long as the underlying causes of the violence have not been eliminated, a peace treaty will not be worth the paper it is written on," warned Delius.

The negotiators in Doha claim that most points of contention between Darfuris and the Sudanese government have been settled. "In Darfur, however, there is no indication that the Sudanese government is interested in a lasting peace," said Delius. "On the contrary: attacks, lawlessness and tensions between ethnic groups have increased drastically since January 2010." The so-called "Darfur

Peace Strategy" of the Sudanese government is widely rejected by the local population. "The international community is not paying attention to the criticisms of the Darfuris and instead are relying on the empty promises coming from Khartoum," criticized Delius.

In fact, the situation in western Sudan is catastrophic. With intimidation and arrests, officials have engendered a climate of fear among non-governmental organizations while the people wait in vain for justice. In spite of conflicting promises, officials have done nothing to bring to justice those responsible for the massacre of 64 civilians that took place on 2 September 2010 in the village of Tabra (north Darfur). There is not even a trace of credible and independent justice. The fate of three million displaced people is still unknown. Many people want to return to their home villages, but the government hopes to legalize their displacement and resettle the refugees near their camps using money from the Arab world. But only very little financial aid actually reaches the impoverished area. The head of the Darfur Reconstruction Fund, Dr. Mohamed Al Tayeb Al Tijani, accused the Sudanese government in 2010 of misappropriating 760 million US dollars in aid money for Darfur. Violence against women is increasing as well. In the past week, six more women and girls were raped by government soldiers near the Zamzam refugee camp.

For further Information please contact Ulrich Delius: 0049 - 551 - 4990627

Translated by Elizabeth Crawford