UN report on Darfur: violations, government restrictions, Doha

A report of the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, includes an update on the latest developments of the situation in Darfur covering the period between 1 October and 31 December 2012. The report was released on 10 January 2013, read below some of its excerpts.  Rule of law, governance and human rights “The overall number of documented human rights violations decreased from 159 cases involving 321 victims in the previous reporting period to 94 cases involving 204 victims in the current reporting period (…). Of the 94 documented cases, 44 were reported to Government authorities, 13 of which are under investigation. Attacks on internally displaced persons have continued, resulting mostly in violations of the right to physical integrity. UNAMID recorded 37 incidents involving 100 victims, a decline from the 49 incidents involving 153 victims recorded in the previous reporting period. The number of arbitrary arrests and detentions recorded by UNAMID declined from 40 incidents involving 46 victims in the previous reporting period to 6 incidents involving 13 victims in the current reporting period. In two of the incidents, torture and subsequent intimidation were alleged. UNAMID recorded 33 incidents of sexual and gender-based violence involving 47 victims, 20 of whom were minors. This represents a slight increase from 30 cases involving 42 victims, including 13 minors, in the previous reporting period.”Security situation and freedom of movement “Between 1 October and 25 December 2012, the mission’s movements over land were restricted on 38 occasions, compared with 29 in the previous reporting period. In the same period, Government authorities denied 82 of 3,938 flight requests, a decrease from 108 of 4,928 in the previous reporting period. During the reporting period, aid workers continued to experience access restrictions and bureaucratic impediments. It became more difficult to secure Darfur travel permits for United Nations staff and humanitarian and development partners, whether to some field locations in Darfur or from Khartoum to Darfur. In October and November, a total of 71 incidents relating to access constraints were recorded by United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and other humanitarian organizations operating in Darfur. Access to (…) parts of Western Darfur, Eastern Jebel Marra (…) and Hashaba (…), remained restricted; no inter-agency mission has been permitted access to Western Jebel Marra since August 2011. Since September 2012, United Nations agencies in Northern Darfur have been advised by the Northern Darfur Humanitarian Aid Commissioner to secure an additional travel permit for all field missions conducted within that State.” Progress against benchmarks “Denial and restriction of access by Government authorities and armed movements remained a significant impediment to humanitarian operations in some areas of Darfur, including Hashaba, Abu Delek and Sigili, in Northern Darfur and Jebel Marra. In addition, humanitarian personnel and visiting delegations were prevented from accessing some deep-field locations or from travelling to Darfur from Khartoum (…). Moreover, the delivery of humanitarian assistance was further constrained by Government authorities deregistering six national non-governmental organizations working in Southern Darfur, disrupting basic services for an estimated 30,000 beneficiaries (…).” Political developments “Progress in the implementation of the bulk of the provisions of the Doha Document (…) continued to lag despite the decision taken in July 2012 to extend the implementation timeline by one year. Four months after the revised deadlines, the Government of the Sudan has yet to transfer funds to the Darfur Reconstruction and Development Fund, including the first installment of $200 million, intended to facilitate the implementation of tangible peace dividends across Darfur.”