JOHANNESBURG — Women and girls in the Darfur region of western Sudan have been systematically raped by rampaging Arab militias, according to a report released Monday by the human rights group Amnesty International.
Victims and witnesses described how members of the militias, known as janjaweed, sang as they raped women and girls as young as 8, broke women's legs to prevent their escape and raped or brutally killed pregnant women.
According to an account from an unidentified woman in the village of Garsila, a pregnant 18-year-old named Aziza died after militiamen slit open her belly, saying her baby would be a child of the enemy.
Amnesty International said it had documented the names of 250 rape victims and collected information on another 250. Given the silence and shame attached to rape in these communities, it concluded that the 500 cases were a small fraction of the total.
"When we tried to escape, they shot more children," a 37-year-old witness from the village of Mukjar, who was identified only by the initial A, said in the report. "I saw many cases of janjaweed raping women and girls. They are happy when they rape. They sing when they rape, and they say that we are just slaves and they can do with us what they wish."
The report said that "many of the crimes committed in Darfur constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity." It linked the militias to the Sudanese military, saying the soldiers appear to have coordinated attacks on the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa tribes.
New-York based Human Rights Watch said Monday that there was clear evidence of links between Sudanese authorities and janjaweed. The group said it had documents from government officials in North and South Darfur dated in February and March calling for military support, including "provisions and ammunition," for janjaweed militia leaders and pro-government tribes.
The Sudanese government, under intense international pressure, has pledged to rein in and disarm the Arab militias. It has repeatedly denied allegations by aid and human rights groups that it backs the militias.
A Sudanese news agency that is close to the government reported Monday that 10 janjaweed militia leaders who had led the attacks in Darfur were convicted in a court in Nyala and would face amputations of a hand and foot as well as six years in prison. The men were charged with crimes such as assault, murder, illegal possession of weapons and robbery, according to the Sudan Media Center, which distributes government statements.
