Darfur the silence genocide.

The UN security council is being criticised for "shameful silence" over the crisis in Darfur, which is now in its sixth year. The denouncement comes after attacks in Sudan's Darfur region went overlooked by the security council. HRW wants a probe into the killings and penalties for those committing them.

"HRW said that in western Darfur 'hundreds of civilians' have been killed, tens of thousands have been displaced and provision of 'life-saving humanitarian assistance' has been prevented from reaching the worst affected areas by government attacks on villages since February 8. 'The council's inaction has given Sudan a green light to continue attacking civilian targets, flouting international law and security council resolutions' and obstructing the deployment of a UN-mandated peacekeeping force.

The conflict in Darfur has raged since 2003 when anti-government forces attempted to gain a greater regional share of power.

Fighting has claimed 200,000 lives and displaced 2.2 million people, according to UN estimates."