SUDAN
Republic of the Sudan
Head of state and government: Omar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir
Capital: Khartoum
Population: 29.4 million
Official language: Arabic
Death penalty: retentionist
2000 treaty ratifications/signatures: Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

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The civil war continued to devastate the lives of countless civilians during 2000. Those most affected were people living near oil fields where pro-government forces and armed opposition groups were fighting for control of oil production and territory. All parties to the conflict committed gross human rights abuses against civilians living in the contested areas including indiscriminate bombing, abduction, enslavement, forcible recruitment, torture and killings. Tens of thousands of people were forced to leave their homes. Despite government claims that the human rights situation in areas under its control was improving, lawyers, journalists, students and human rights defenders were harassed and intimidated. Dozens were arrested andtortured. Those responsible for human rights abuses were not brought to justice. Restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and association in cities under government control persisted.

Background
By the end of 2000, the civil war, which resumed in 1983, had cost the lives of almost 2,000,000 people and resulted in a further 4,500,000 people being internally displaced. In addition, some 500,000 people were believed to have sought asylum abroad.
The main parties to the conflict since 1983 were those supporting the government - including the Sudanese People's Armed Forces (the regular army), the paramilitary Popular Defence Forces, and various militia groups known as the murahaleen - and the opposition forces made up of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and various allied militias.
The drive for oil and territorial control over the oil fields was central to the war between the government and armed opposition forces, as well as to the ongoing conflict between the various militia factions. For example, the 1,600km oil pipeline which came into operation in August 1999 continued to be the target of repeated attacks by opposition forces. In addition to the conflict between the regular army and the SPLA, another conflict raged between the various militias allied with the government or the SPLA. These forces frequently changed sides depending on their perceived interests or simply the supply of arms. It was estimated that during the past few years more people had lost their lives as a result of interfactional fighting between militias than in armed encounters with government forces. The government pursued a policy of providing support and weapons to the various militia commanders and encouraging interfactional fighting, which resulted in widespread destruction and destitution for the local civilian population.
The Bahr el-Ghazal humanitarian cease-fire - agreed between the SPLA, the UN and relief agencies operating under the umbrella organization Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) - to provide food to civilians affected by the conflict collapsed in July. However, a new agreement was subsequently reached between the OLS and the government which allowed relief supplies to resume. Although the cease-fire was not restored, a 12-day truce was agreed in October to allow the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to carry out anti-polio vaccinations. Some non-governmental organizations accused the government of not respecting this truce and bombing towns.
The state of emergency declared in December 1999 remained in place for most of the year.
Presidential and parliamentary elections took place in December. Both UN and European Union monitors turned down invitations to monitor the elections which were widely believed to be seriously flawed. Arrests of journalists, political opponents and human rights activists intensified ahead of the elections and the main opposition parties called for a boycott of the elections; people in areas under rebel control did not take part in the elections. President Omar al-Bashir, in power since 1989, was declared the winner of the elections.

Internal displacement
Tens of thousands of people were terrorized into leaving their homes in oil-rich Upper Nile by aerial bombardments, mass executions and torture. This massive displacement was followed by the deployment of additional weaponry and forces to protect the oil fields. Crops and livestock were burned and looted to prevent people from returning to their homes. Bombings in Northern Bahr el-Ghazal also resulted in mass displacement of the civilian population.

Bombing of civilians
Indiscriminate bombing of civilians in the south of the country continued. International outcry at the bombing of hospitals and schoolchildren in February and March led President al-Bashir to order his forces to stop all air bombardment operations except where these were justified by self-defence or during military operations to ''protect lives and property''. However, following the collapse of the Bahr el-Ghazal humanitarian cease-fire, the bombings intensified. From September bombardments of civilian targets intensified in other parts of the country including Eastern Equatoria, Upper Nile and south Blue Nile.

• In July alone, more than 250 bombs reportedly hit civilian targets in at least 30 separate incidents causing several deaths and disrupting the harvest and humanitarian relief in Bahr el-Ghazal.

Child soldiers
Conscription into the armed forces is compulsory for both men and women and the law stipulates that military training is a precondition for entry into further and higher education or into certain jobs. There was increasing evidence that child soldiers were being used by the various parties to the conflict. There were reports that children were being abducted in the streets of Khartoum and forcibly recruited into the Popular Defence Forces. The parents were not informed and most of the young recruits were sent to the front line. There were reports of ill-treatment of child conscripts.

• On 29 May the body of 17-year-old Ghassan Ahmed Al Amin Haroun was transferred to the Khartoum morgue from the Jabal Awlia Compulsory Military Service Joint Camp. He had joined the army unit just two days earlier. A post-mortem examination revealed injuries on his hands, back, right foot and eye and bruising on other parts of the body and confirmed the cause of death to be ''respiratory failure''. The authorities did not comment on the post-mortem findings, but shortly afterwards placed the family under surveillance by the security forces.
• Sixteen-year-old Mohanad Abdelrahman M. Zakana died at the Aljouli military training camp in May. His death was believed to have been caused by the harsh training meted out to young conscripts. It was alleged that he was denied adequate medical treatment after he collapsed with sunstroke.

Children continued to be forcibly recruited by the SPLA, despite the fact that the SPLA had informed UNICEF that it would demobilize all child soldiers in its forces and end the recruitment of children.

Slavery
Although the government continued to deny that slavery existed in Sudan, thousands of people were believed to be held in forced labour or slavery. Estimates varied regarding the number of people held in slavery; some non-governmental organizations put the figure as high as 100,000, while government sources put the figure at 5,000. The sexual slavery of women was widely reported, especially in the areas affected by the armed conflict. Those who escaped described widespread torture, including rape, and forced marriages.

Torture/ill-treatment
Widespread torture and ill-treatment continued to be reported in many government-held towns. There was grave concern that suspected government opponents were particularly at risk. Reports of torture were not investigated and the perpetrators were not brought to justice. Reports of torture were also received from SPLA-held territories.

• No investigation was carried out into the deaths in custody of Joseph Adhiang Langlang, Abdallah Col, Hassan Abu Adhan and Gladino Sam Okieny. They reportedly died as a result of torture. The four men had been held with Hillary Boma and 25 others, accused of planting bombs in Khartoum in 1998. After Hillary Boma and his fellow prisoners were pardoned and released in December 1999, no investigation was carried out into their allegations of torture.
• In December, eight members of opposition political parties were arrested by the security forces during a meeting with a US diplomat. They were accused of plotting a coup. A few days later, two lawyers - Ghazi Suleiman and Ali Mahmoud Hasanain - were arrested for signing a petition against the arrests. Ghazi Suleiman sustained a head injury and was reportedly hospitalized twice while in detention, raising grave concerns that he was tortured. The 10 detainees were held in a secret location in solitary confinement and without access to their families, medical treatment or lawyers.

Amputation
At least 12 people were sentenced to have limbs amputated during 2000. At least one amputation was carried out.

• In March Al Salik Obeid had his right hand and left foot amputated at Kober Prison.

Rape and other violence against women
Violence against women by combatants on all sides, long a feature of the conflict in Sudan, intensified during the year. There were widespread reports of sexual abuse, including sexual slavery, rape and forced pregnancies. Rape was used as a tactic of war by both government and opposition forces to dehumanize and humiliate civilians in the conflict zone. However, because of the taboos and stigma attached to rape, reports were rare and impunity for the rapist was the rule. There were frequent reports of women being abducted while collecting firewood or water and being forced to carry heavy loads of goods looted from ransacked villages. They were also used as bonded labour and forced to clean, cook and provide domestic services to soldiers in barracks and camps.

Women's rights
Violations of women's rights were widespread. In central Sudan, especially in Khartoum, women faced severe restrictions on their freedom of movement.

• In September the Governor of Khartoum issued a decree banning women from working in public places. Days later, 26 women were arrested and three were injured when police used tear gas and batons to break up a peaceful demonstration against the decree.

The decree was challenged on the grounds that it was unconstitutional in the Constitutional Court which in October temporarily suspended the ban. The Court's final decision was still pending at the end of the year. However, the Minister of Justice, while recognizing that the Constitution and international conventions guarantee a woman's right to work, would not condemn the ban as unconstitutional.

Students and human rights defenders
Students and human rights defenders were harassed and intimidated during 2000, particularly in and around Khartoum. The security forces prevented or disrupted student activities and activists were arrested and tortured; one was killed.

• In June soldiers opened fire on a student seminar on the crisis in Sudan at the University of Senna. One participant, 'Mirghami Mahmoud al-Norman, was shot dead and several others were injured. In the days that followed the shooting, several demonstrations in support of the students took place. At least 11 people, including seven students, were arrested and charged with rioting and disturbing public order. All were believed to have been tortured and most were hospitalized as a result.

Lawyers and relatives trying to pursue cases of human rights violations frequently faced harassment and repeated summons to appear at police stations or security force installations. The perpetrators of human rights violations, in contrast, were not pursued through the justice system.

• Relatives seeking justice for an 11-year-old girl raped by a police officer in May 1999 were harassed and intimidated. The authorities repeatedly attempted to subject the girl to further intrusive medical examinations. However, instead of pursuing the allegations of rape, the Sudanese authorities chose to view the case as a ''security'' issue. Family members and lawyers acting on their behalf were required to report to the Federal Criminal Investigation Department and documents were seized from the lawyers' offices by members of the security forces. Neither the relatives nor lawyers were charged with a recognizably criminal offence.

AI country report

• Sudan: The Human Price of Oil (AI Index: AFR 54/001/2000 ERR)

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