Janjaweed shares camps with Sudan govt army: Human Rights Watch

In case anyone wasn't sure: yes, the government is behind it. From the Khaleej Times Online, with thanks to Nicolei:

WASHINGTON - With a UN sanctions deadline looming, an international human rights group on Thursday charged that the Sudanese government army was sharing at least five camps with Janjaweed militia blamed for massive ethnic cleansing in western Sudan.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said the five camps were among 16 Janjaweed miilitia camps identified through its investigators in West and North Darfur.

The United Nations has set a deadline of Monday for Khartoum to comply with its promises to disarm the militia, which it has backed as a way of suppressing a local rebel movement. The conflict has left at least 30,000 people dead and displaced about 1 million people.

Human Rights Watch called for the UN to impose sanctions on the Sudanese government for its “failure to disarm and neutralize the Janjaweed militia” as it has promised.

“The existence of these Janjaweed camps shows clearly tha Khartoum is not at all serious about ending atrocities and providing security,” said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Africa division of Human Rights Watch. said Takirambudde.

“The fact that there are still armed camps filled with killers terrorizing civilians in Darfur makes it impossible for people to go home.”

The rights group called for satellite technology to be used to confirm past and current locations of Janjaweed camps and track the theft of animals and property from civilians.

Three of the heavily armed Janjaweed camps were opened as late as July, after the July 3 date when Sudanese President Omar El Bashir promised to disarm the Janjaweed, Human Rights Watch said.