'Ten years after the Rwandan genocide and despite years of soul-searching, the response of the international community to the events in Sudan has been nothing short of shameful,' said the report. 'Together, the government and Arab Janjaweed militias targeted the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa through a combination of indiscriminate and deliberate aerial bombardment, denial of access to humanitarian assistance, and scorched-earth tactics that displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians.'

The Sudanese government has been involved in a low-key conflict in Darfur against two rebel groups, who took up arms more than a year ago to protect black Africans from oppression by Arabs. More than a million people have been driven from their homes in recent months and forced to flee to neighbouring Chad, provoking a humanitarian crisis.

The same day as the publication of the report, Chad said that fighting had spilled over its borders and that its army units were fighting elements of the Janjaweed.