Darfur JEM to file lawsuit against British organization: Official

By Wasil Ali

June 15, 2008 (WASHINGTON) – A Darfur rebel group declared its intent to file a lawsuit against a British organization over a report alleging that they recruited child soldiers.

Last week the London-based human rights group Waging Peace, said in a report that refugees from the Darfur conflict as young as nine years old are being sold to armed rebel groups including Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) as child soldiers.

JEM officials were outraged by the report and alleged that it is part of a campaign directed against them.

“All the information contained in this report is absurd, false and baseless” JEM’s deputy chief of staff Suleiman Sandal told Sudan Tribune by satellite phone from an undisclosed location.

“Since the foundation of JEM we never recruited children in our ranks. Our movement is in full conformity with Geneva convention prohibiting enlistment of children as soldiers” he added.

The issue of child soldiers in Darfur rebel groups came into the spotlight following a surprise attack on the Sudanese capital last month. The Sudanese government managed to repulse the attack and accused Chad of backing JEM in its attempt.

Hundreds of people were arrested after the attack including 89 children who the government said JEM had used as soldiers and showed them on national television.

But Sandal dismissed the government claims and the TV footages as “political propaganda”.

“Even when we launched our operation inside Omdurman we had firm instructions not to attack civilians. We were only targeting the institutions of the National Congress Party (NCP). How can we then be accused of using children to fight for us? It is illogical” Sandal said.

“The JEM statue strictly prohibits recruitment of men under the age of 18. We have a humanitarian coordinator officer who ensures compliance with this rule” he said.

“From a military standpoint children cannot travel hundreds of kilometers in the desert to the capital then take a week long journey back to the bases with only water and no food” he added.

The JEM official said the rebel group invites visits by any organizations “to verify that we have no child soldiers in our ranks”.

He also accused ‘Waging Peace’ group of working to promote the views of the Sudanese government.

“We are consulting with a number of lawyers on taking them [‘Waging Peace’ group] to court for smearing our reputation. Why did they pick this particular time to publish such a report? This not a mere coincidence” the JEM official said.

International experts also say more than 300,000 were killed and 2 million have been driven from their homes by the conflict in Darfur, a region that is roughly the size of France.

(ST)