Arab coalition calls for fair inquiry into North Darfur mass rape

The Arab Coalition for Darfur (ACD) has condemned the mass rape of girls and women in Tabit, North Darfur, and described the crime by the Sudanese soldiers as “brutal”. Radio Dabanga will come with a full report of the events, as well as detailed testimonies from victims, in the next coming days. Last Friday evening, members of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) invaded Tabit, south-west of El Fasher, and raped many women and girls in the town. The husbands and men were dispersed and forced to stay outside. At 4 am on Saturday, the soldiers moved back to the nearby military garrison, leaving behind the wounded victims. According to a Sheikh in Tabit, about 200 women were raped. 71 of the raped women were girls aged between 12 and 17 years, and eight of the victims were pupils at a middle school. The other victims were older, or married women. “This rape, this systematic crime, and other war crimes such as the crimes against human rights in Darfur, reveal that the Khartoum regime is lying if it says it wants to achieve justice in Darfur,” the ACD said in a press statement today. The coalition expressed its regrets that Sudanese authorities prevented the arrival of a Unamid patrol in Tabit to investigate the crime. The Unamid stated on Wednesday that a verification patrol was denied access by Sudanese military at a checkpoint to Tabit on Tuesday. The ACD called on the authorities to conduct a thorough and fair investigation, and urged the civil society as well as the Independent Expert on the Situation of Human Rights in Sudan and international organisations to stop such violations of human rights. The coalition further demanded from the Sudanese government to stop supporting “these militias” and called for their disarmament, and to bring the perpetrators to justice. The Sheikh in Tabit reported earlier this week that a number of families has moved to Zamzam camp for the displaced, also in El Fasher. Others are preparing themselves to leave Tabit area. He stressed that until now, no Sudanese authorities or Unamid forces have arrived to the area. File photo: A Darfuri victim of rape hides her face during an interview (Ron Haviv/VII Photo) Related: UN mission ‘denied access to North Darfur village to investigate mass rape’ ( 5 November 2014) Commander admits to mass rape by soldiers in North Darfur (3 November 2014)