October 2015 (COI up to 3 August 2015) Darfur Country Report Explanatory Note Sources and databases consulted List of Acronyms CONTENTS 1. Background information 1.1. Geographical Information (map of Darfur) 1.2. Central government 1.3. Local government (Darfur Regional Authority) 1.4. Background to the current state of the conflict 1.4.1. Inter-communal fighting 1.4.2. Clashes between government forces and armed opposition movements 2. Actors involved in the conflict 2.1. Government forces 2.1.1. Armed forces 2.1.2. Intelligence 2.1.3. Law enforcement 2.1.4. Paramilitary militias 2.1.4.1. Border Guards 2.1.4.2. Central Reserve Police (“Abu Tira”) 2.1.4.3. Janjaweed and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) 2.1.4.4. Popular Defence Forces (PDF) 2.2. Armed opposition groups 2.2.1. Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) 2.2.2. Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) and National Liberation and Justice Movement (NLJM) 2.2.3. Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) 2.2.3.1. SLA-AW 2.2.3.2. SLA-MM 2.2.3.3. SLA-Justice 2.2.3.4. SLA-United/Unity 2.2.3.5. Sudan Liberation Movement/Army-Reformist Group 2.2.4. Awakening Revolutionary Council led by Musa Hilal 2.3. Tribal militias 3. Current state of the conflict, and human rights and security situation 3.1. Central Darfur 3.2. North Darfur 3.3. East Darfur 3.4. South Darfur 3.5. West Darfur 1 4. Main political developments / Peace process (since July/August 2014) 4.1. Darfur's peace process 4.2. African Union/United Nations Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID) 4.3. International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants 5. Rule of Law and the Administration of Justice 5.1. Special court for Darfur 5.2. Local dispute resolution mechanisms 5.3. Amnesty 5.4. Arbitrary arrest and detention 5.5. Unlawful or disproportionate punishment for crimes 5.6. Death penalty 5.7. Detention conditions 5.7.1. Torture in detention 6. Ethnic groups 6.1. Arab ethnic groups 6.2. Non-Arab ethnic groups 6.3. Conflict between tribes since August 2014 7. Civil and Political Rights 7.1. Freedom of expression, association, and assembly 7.1.1. Political opposition parties and activists 7.1.2. Darfuri students 7.1.3. Lawyers as political opposition members and activists 7.2. Freedom of the Media 7.2.1. Treatment of critical journalists, citizen-journalists, bloggers, etc. 7.3. Civil society organizations and civil society activists, including women’s rights activists 7.4. Attacks on schools and teachers 8. Internally displaced persons (IDPs) 8.1. Freedom of movement 8.2. Security 8.3. Access to basic services 9. Returnees 9.1. Security 9.2. Access to documentation 9.3. Access to basic services 10. Women 10.1. Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) 10.2. Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) 10.3. State response to SGBV 10.4. Trafficking of women 11. Children 11.1. Recruitment and use of children by government forces and armed groups 12. Individuals of diverse sexual orientations and/or gender identities 12.1. Legal framework 2 12.2. Treatment of individuals of diverse sexual orientations and/or gender identities 12.2.1. By State actors 12.2.2. By non-State actors 13. Persons living with disabilities 13.1. Legal framework 13.2. Treatment of persons living with disabilities 14. Persons living with HIV/AIDS 14.1. Legal framework 14.2. Treatment of persons living with HIV/AIDS 3 Explanatory Note This report presents country of origin information (COI) on Sudan up to 3rd August 2015 on issues of relevance in refugee status determination for Sudanese nationals from Darfur. The COI presented is illustrative, but not exhaustive of the information available in the public domain, nor is it determinative of any individual human rights or asylum claim. All sources are publicly available and a direct hyperlink has been provided. A list of sources and databases consulted is also provided, to enable users to conduct further research and to conduct source assessments. Research focused on events which have occurred since 1 August 2014 (and post the publication of Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation (ACCORD), Darfur: COI Compilation, July 2014) and sources were accessed in August and September 2015. Annual reports covering events from 2014 have been included even though part of their reporting periods pre-date the cut-off point for research, as they were not available at the time of the June 2014 ACCORD publication. In certain noted sections of this report, COI has been included that was identified in the August 2014 ACCORD report, reproduced with permission from the authors. Such COI which pre-dates the cut-off point for research was include to provide historical context where necessary. This document is intended to be used as a tool to help to identify relevant COI and the COI referred to in this report can be considered by decision makers in assessing asylum applications and appeals. However, this document should not be submitted in full or in isolation as evidence to refugee decision making authorities. Whilst every attempt has been made to ensure accuracy, the authors accept no responsibility for any errors included in this report. 4 Sources and databases consulted Databases consulted: ECOI.net Refworld Reliefweb Sources consulted Action on Disability and Development International Aidsmap Aegis Trust African Arguments African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS) Africa Review AIDSPortal All Africa Amnesty International Anti Trafficking Legal Project (ATLeP) Arry Article 19 Avert Brookings Institution Carnegie Endowment for International Peace CHR Michelsen Institute Committee to Protect Journalists Doctors Without Borders Child Soldiers International Eldis Enough Project Equal Rights Trust Eric Reeves, Sudan Research, Analysis, and Advocacy Freedom Sudan Fund for Peace – Fragile States Index 2015 Gay Star News Global Gayz Hands off Cain Heidelberg Institute for International Conflict Research Human Rights Watch Human Security Baseline Assessment for Sudan and South Sudan/Small Arms Survey Inclusion International Institute for Economics & Peace – Global Peace Index 2015 Institute for War and Peace Reporting Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) International Crisis Group International Disability Alliance International Federation for Human Rights International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans and Intersex Association International Office for Migration Sudan Mission International Refugee Rights Initiative International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims 5 Inter Press Service IRIN news Jamestown Foundation Leonard Cheshire Disability International Medecins Sans Frontieres – Access Campaign Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders Minority Rights Group International Open Society Foundations Organization for Refuge, Asylum & Migration (ORAM) Oxfam Pink News Radio Dabanga Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Reporters Without Borders Reuters Africa Save the Children Rift Valley Institute Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa Sudan Social Development Organisation Sudan Tribune Transparency International UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office UNAMID United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT) United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) United Nations Population Fund (UNPFPA) United Nations Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children United Nations Women United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) United States Institute of Peace United States Department of State Uppsala Universitet – UCDP Conflict Encyclopedia Waging Peace Walk Free Foundation > The 2014 Global Slavery Index World Bank World Health Organisation 76 Crimes 6 List of Acronyms CPA Comprehensive Peace Agreement DDPD Doha Document for Peace in Darfur DRA Darfur Regional Authority GoNU Government of National Unity GoS Government of Sudan HSBA Human Security Baseline Assessment for Sudan and South Sudan ICC International Criminal Court JEM Justice and Equality Movement LJM Liberation and Justice Movement NCP National Congress Party NIF National Islamic Front NLJM National Liberation and Justice Movement NLJP National Liberation and Justice Party NISS National Intelligence and Security Service PDF Popular Defence Forces RAC Revolutionary Awakening Council RSF Rapid Support Forces SAF Sudanese Armed Forces SCP/SCoP Sudanese Congress Party SLA Sudanese Liberation Army SPLM Sudan People's Liberation Movement UNAMID African Union – United Nations Mission in Darfur 7 1. Background information1 1.1. Geographical Information (map of Darfur)2 1COI in this subsection reproduced with permission from ACCORD as cited in: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation (ACCORD), Darfur: COI Compilation, July 2014 2 CRMA/UNDP - Crisis and Recovery Mapping and Analysis/United Nations Development Programme, Darfur Map, 2012 8 1.2. Central government3 The CIA World Factbook explains that Sudan is a “federal republic ruled by the National Congress Party (NCP), which seized power by military coup in 1989” and the federal state comprises the following 18 states : Al Bahr al Ahmar (Red Sea), Al Jazira (Gezira), Al Khartoum (Khartoum), Al Qadarif (Gedaref), An Nil al Abyad (White Nile), An Nil