SUDAN:A Sudanese lawyer awarded the EU's most prestigious human rights prize has chided Europe for not doing more to help end the conflict in Darfur
Salih Mahmoud Osman, an opposition member of the Sudanese parliament who works for the Sudan Organisation Against Torture, received the Sakharov prize for defending victims of human rights abuses.
A member of Darfur's largest ethnic group, Mr Osman was imprisoned without charge for more than seven months in 2004.
Awarding the prize, the European Parliament said Mr Osman was a "courageous man" who had become "the voice of Darfur". His fight against injustice has incurred personal cost, the citation noted, as relatives have been killed and tortured.
The annual prize, named after former Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, is presented to individuals or groups judged to have made a notable human rights contribution. Finalists included murdered Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya and Chinese activists Hu Jia and Zeng Jinyan.
Mr Osman called on Europe to contribute to the planned hybrid UN-African Union force to Darfur, saying it was not enough for the EU to send a force to Chad to protect civilians, including Darfuris fleeing violence.
"The victims [ in Darfur] feel disappointed . . . They are waiting to hear from you, the people of Europe. Your leaders have been talking tough about the policies of the Sudanese government in Darfur. But so far we haven't seen any concrete steps," he said.
Mr Osman accused Europe of failing to properly address Darfur at last weekend's EU-Africa summit. "We were very disappointed because Darfur was not specifically on the agenda. We expected it would be a separate issue," he said.
It is estimated that more than 200,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in Darfur since local rebels rose against the Sudanese government in 2003, accusing it of discrimination and neglect. The situation has deteriorated in the past year, Mr Osman said, with many rebel groups fragmenting into smaller factions.
"There is also a feeling that rebel groups are not necessarily expressing or defending the interests of the people of Darfur," he said, adding that there should be more effort to ensure peace talks in Libya are more inclusive, with victims also represented.