By Elizabeth Costner
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Africa

MUHAGIRIYA, Sudan – African Union and United Nations officials are looking into reports of a new massacre in Darfur.  Witnesses report that Sudanese government troops and their allied militias killed more than 30 civilians, slit the throats of several men praying at a mosque, and shot a 5-year old boy in the back as he tried to run away.

Muhagiriya, a small town in southern Darfur, was a stronghold to one of Darfur’s numerous rebel factions, but witnesses say there were few rebels there on October 8 when two columns of uniformed government troops and dozens of militiamen not in uniform surrounded the town and stormed the market.

While both the UN and AU have been investigating the atrocities, and have verified that dozens of civilians were killed, neither group has been able to officially identify and verify the group responsible.  Witnesses assert that uniformed troops “methodically mowed down anyone who tried to escape, including a group of fleeing children.”

The Sudanese government has denied any involvement, calling it “completely false information.”  When asked about the reports of attacks an official in the government blamed it on “internal fighting between the movements.”

Many are worried that this occurrence is a sign of a much larger problem in Darfur.   Rebels, Arab militias, and the Sudanese military all seem to be rushing to seize territory before a major peace conference scheduled for October 27 in Libya.  Sam Ibok, a senior advisor to the African Union who is involved in preparations for the peace talks, said “they are all trying to reposition themselves ahead of the cease-fire talks and ahead of discussions of who controls what.”

The recent attack in Muhagiriya are complicating peace efforts and causing concern as “people are now becoming more skeptical” and believe “that the government is not interested in peace.”

Africa Union officials are also investigating accusations of another attack on civilians in Haskanita, most of which was burned to the ground.  Rebels have accused the government of ransacking the town and killing 100 people following a rebel attack on a nearby African Darfur base.

For more information, please see:

New York Times – In Southern Darfur, Signs of Another Massacre – 17 October 2007

USA Today – Gov’t troops massacred civilians in southern Darfur – 17 October 2007

International Herald Tribune – Poison pot of obstacles facing peace in Darfur – 17 October 2007

Eathtimes – New atrocities emerge in Darfur – 17 October 2007

For more information on the Darfur conflict, please see the following Impunity Watch reports: Ceasefire Ends in Sudan; African Union Peacekeepers Attacked in Darfur; Ongoing Conflict in Sudan; ICC Prosecutor Demands Arrests in Sudan; Secretary General Urges Sudan President to Commit to Ceasefire; Peace Talks on Darfur Scheduled for October