PILPG Update
Genocide in Darfur: A Legal Analysis
September 28, 2004

The Public International Law & Policy Group (PILPG) is pleased to release our latest report titled "Genocide in Darfur: A Legal Analysis." 

On September 9, 2004, US Secretary of State Colin Powell declared that the situation in Sudan rose to the level of genocide according to the 1948 Genocide Convention. The European Union has declared that the atrocities in Darfur are "tantamount to genocide" and welcome a UN-sponsored International Commission of Inquiry to investigate allegations of abuse. The Sudanese government has denied that genocide is occurring and claims that the violence is a result of its battle against rebel groups based in Darfur.

The attached legal memorandum sets forth the precise legal criteria as established in the Genocide Convention and then conducts a traditional legal analysis to determine whether the acts of violence and aggression in Darfur, Sudan meet the legal standard for genocide as set forth in the Convention. The memorandum concludes there is sufficient evidence to meet the legal requirements for a determination that genocide is occurring in Darfur, Sudan.

About the Public International Law & Policy Group The Public International Law & Policy Group is a non-profit organization that operates as a global pro bono law firm providing free legal assistance to developing states and states in transition involved in conflicts. The Public International Law & Policy Group was founded by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and is a U.N.-designated Non-Governmental Organization. PILPG receives funding from a number of sources, including the Carnegie Corporation of New York, United States Institute of Peace, and the Ploughshares Fund.

The Managing Board of PILPG includes
Paul Williams - Executive Director,
Michael Scharf - Managing Director,
James Hooper - Managing Director, and

To learn more about the Public International Law & Policy Group, please visit our website at www.publicinternationallaw.org.