Powell accuses Sudan of genocide

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Colin L. Powell declared Thursday that the United States views the killings, rapes and destruction of homes in the Darfur region of western Sudan as genocide, and he called on the U.N. Security Council to recognize that the situation requires urgent action.

While the declaration has no immediate effect on the role or obligations of the United Nations, said Fred Eckhard, spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi Annan, it could be viewed as tantamount to invoking Article 8 of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide -- the first time that any nation had invoked that provision calling upon the United Nations to take action,

In toughly worded testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Powell said that he had concluded that genocide had occurred after studying the findings of experts who had interviewed victims of violence in western Sudan, where attacks have been carried out by government-backed militia known as the Janjaweed.

"When we reviewed the evidence compiled by our team," Powell said, "we concluded -- I concluded -- that genocide has been committed in Darfur and that the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear responsibility, and that genocide may still be occurring."

After Powell's testimony, the White House released a written statement from President Bush echoing his determination that the violence in Sudan amounted to genocide. "We urge the international community to work with us to prevent and suppress acts of genocide," Bush said in the statement.

But even as Powell delivered the administration's verdict on genocide, there were signs of trouble for a draft Security Council resolution on Sudan threatening penalties if Khartoum did not rein in the militias and permit an outside force to secure Darfur.

Objections were raised by the ambassadors of both Pakistan and China, two countries that have warned that threats of sanctions will backfire and make Sudan more intransigent.

"We want to concentrate on keeping the government of Sudan engaged and not go down a path that could terminate that engagement," said Munir Akram, the Pakistani ambassador. The Chinese ambassador, Wang Guangya, suggested that China might veto such a resolution.

Congress has passed a resolution declaring the Sudan situation genocide, and last week Kerry called on the administration to follow suit. But until now, Powell has said that he did not want to use the word without examining the facts, and further that using the word would not by itself accomplish very much.

Powell repeated the point on Thursday, but said the United States and others would continue to put pressure on Sudan by threatening economic sanctions and encouraging a settlement of the rebellion in Darfur that prompted the Janjaweed to retaliate.

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