SLM-Police incident shouldn’t have reached shooting levels
By Ohiyok D. Oduho
March 26, 2007 — Omdurman Police clashed with Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A (Minni Minawi faction)) in Al-Muhandisin residential area. The former rebel forces are accused of molesting and harassing citizens who pass by their residence in Omdurman, and that they use drugs and encourage prostitution in the area. Three Policemen were shot dead by these former rebels.
“The shooting started when the police arrived at the residence where the SLM/A militants reside in response to complaints from residents of the area that they were molesting them. As the police approached the residence to apprehend those accused, the SLM/A men opened fire, killing the three men in uniform”, (The Citizen newspaper, March 25th, 2007, p.1).
This is the second time the police are clashing with the SLM/A faction forces in Omdurman. Last year, a fight between SLM/A created an unnecessary tension in Khartoum. It’s not possible to know the method used by the ministry of Interior to resolve the crisis then.
One year before that, Khartoum faced one of the worst crisis – perhaps next to that of 1964 when the first South Sudanese Interior Minister, the late Clement Kutiya Mboro, was reportedly killed by North Sudanese. The July 31st incident took the shape of the 1964 incident because there was a belief that Northern Sudanese, especially the National Congress Party (NCP) were behind Dr Garang’s Chopper crush.
The Police reaction to each and every of these incidents has been ugly. This author was three years old when the Clement Mboro incident took place in Khartoum. Even though he was in Khartoum at the time, he was too young to remember what happened. But what he heard is that many South Sudanese were slaughtered by the Police and not the ordinary residents of Khartoum.
He, however, witnessed the July 31st, 2005, incident and he had received several calls from friends and relatives who saw Police taking part in the crisis. Police were seen opening fire on innocent civilians and arresting those they could not have the opportunity to kill.
It’s important to revisit history in order to correct a number of things. The SLM/A are reported to have misbehaved and their misbehaviour should have been reported to their boss, Minawi. The Police should know that direct dealings with former rebels are difficult and thus only possible through their leaders. This is not because they are lawless, no – it’s because they are soldiers – some of whom may be far senior to the Police officer ordered to arrest them. The Police would obviously try to undermine their ranks because they are not recognized by the government and would thus be the first to aggress as he tries to arrest them. This cannot be tolerated by anybody – including the Police officer himself – if put in the shoes of the rebels.
In order to maintain law and order in Khartoum and other major towns in this country, Police have to undergo some very serious training in a number of fields. Training in psychology, Sociology (Psychoanalysis and the Resocialisation Process), conflict resolution, and management, how to contain racial tendencies and any other training that would help the Police maintain law and order but not to break it.
If this country is to be united, there is also a need for a Police force, which should be composed from all the States of Sudan in the capital. This would tend to fight racialist elements, including separatists who are hiding within the uniforms of the Police force. Otherwise, police brutality witnessed in 1964 and 2005 does not unite the country.
The Police are not fair whenever they are to respond to problems caused by different races, races that are not Arab. This should not be misunderstood as a racial incitement. But those who pretend not to see that there is very serious racial crisis looming in this country, should be made to know that Khartoumers, people of all races, know that the racial tension in this country has increased as compared to the period before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
However, those who think that they are above the law whether they are from SLM/A, SPLM/A, Militias and obviously the Policemen who become part of the problem instead of the solution, must be dealt with according to the law. What happened in Omdurman on March 24th, 2007, was absolutely wrong and it should not have reached shooting levels. But the hatred that is developed by mishandling of such cases could always be the reason behind this and future incidents.
* The author is Ohiyok D. Oduho. He is a permanent Columnist with Sudan Vision Daily newspaper. He can be reached on: [email protected]