The United Nations Human Rights Council has begun its second regular session in Geneva by once again calling for international peacekeepers to go to Sudan's war-torn Darfur region.
Louise Arbour, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, today criticized the Khartoum-based government and Sudanese rebels for failing to protect civilians in the region.
In her opening remarks, Arbour complained that no progress is being made in holding anyone accountable for increased violence and sexual crimes against the populace.
Arbour also cautioned that the International Criminal Court would prosecute those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law.
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has repeatedly rejected a U.N. resolution to replace the current African Union force with a UN peacekeeping force. Mr. Al-Bashir has compared international peacekeepers to a foreign occupation.
