U.N. Sanctions 4 in Darfur Conflict
The men are the first to be penalized over the attacks on villagers in Sudan's western region or the thwarting of peace efforts there.

By Maggie Farley
April 26, 2006
Los Angeles Times
Original Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-sudan26apr26,1,1165050.story


UNITED NATIONS — The Security Council imposed sanctions Tuesday on a former Sudanese military officer, a militia commander and two rebel leaders, accusing them of war crimes and of violating the peace agreement in the nation's Darfur region. 

The sanctions include a travel ban and a freeze on assets outside Sudan, and are the first penalties linked either to the systematic massacres and displace ment of non-Arab tribes in Darfur or the thwarting of peace efforts there.

China, Russia and Qatar abstained from the vote, saying they believed that levying sanctions now might upset peace negotiations set to conclude in Nigeria at the end of the month. Qatar also said the evidence of wrongdoing was not sufficient to warrant sanctions. 

But U.S. Ambassador John R. Bolton insisted that the sanctions, which were approved by a 12-0 vote, would strengthen the peace process.

This resolution demonstrates that the Security Council is serious in its efforts to restore peace and security in the region, he said.

The United States had pushed for more leaders to be sanctioned, and Bolton called the penalties a first step.

The four men sanctioned were leaders from both sides of the three-year-long conflict in Darfur between rebels and government-backed Arab militias. At least 180,000 non-Arab villagers have died and more than 2 million have been displaced. 

The former Sudanese army commander of the western military region, Maj. Gen. Gaffar Mohammed Hassan, is said to have coordinated attacks on villages with militia leaders, diplomats say. Militia leader Musa Hilal is also on the sanctions list for allegedly carrying out the attacks.

Two rebel leaders were also penalized: Sudan Liberation Army commander Adam Yacub Shant, for violating a cease-fire in July with an attack that killed three government soldiers; and Gabril Abdul Kareem Badri, for kidnapping African Union peacekeepers in October and threatening to shoot down the AU forces' helicopters.

To ease the concerns of African nations and other council members, the Security Council also approved a Tanzania-drafted statement supporting the peace talks. AU mediators have set Sunday as the deadline for a new peace deal so persistent violence won't undermine stability across Sudan. 

Council members' competing interests have made action on Darfur difficult since a March 2005 resolution authorizing sanctions on individuals who violate the peace agreement or human rights. China and Russia traditionally resist sanctions as a matter of geopolitical principle, and Sudan is China's fourth-largest oil supplier. Qatar represents Arab nations, including Sudan, on the council.

The African members of the council, Tanzania, Ghana and Congo, want the AU to take the lead on addressing the conflict. 

The United States, while pushing for a longer sanctions list, lobbied quietly behind the scenes to ensure that one of Washington's key sources on terrorism, Sudanese intelligence chief Salah Abdallah Gosh, stayed off the list.