Darfur officials resign in protest over refugee camp massacre

August 26, 2008 (KHARTOUM) – A number of officials in the regional government of South Darfur handed down their resignations in protest over events that occurred in a refugee camp on Monday.

Scores of people were killed and many more injured when hundreds of Sudanese soldiers and security officers entered Kalma camp early yesterday morning and opened fire.

Sudan Tribune has learned that the officials include the state minister of agriculture Omar Fur from the ex-Southern rebels Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM); two advisors to South Darfur governor Al-Magdoom Salah Fadl & Al-Shertai Ibrahim; two Municipal officials Fatma Fangout & Sharaf Al-Jabal.

Two unidentified members of the South Darfur legislative body have also stepped down.

Fur described Monday’s attack as a “massacre” and called it a “big and serious violations on the part of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP)”.

“The Security bodies involved must be held accountable. This assault is meant to destroy the peace. SPLM has nothing to do with it and was not aware of any plans to raid the camp”.

The SPLM figure called for an immediate investigation into the Kalma camp events.

The other officials who quit called it a “clear violation” of the Darfur peace agreement (DPA) before holding the South Darfur government responsible. They further demanded that forces currently surrounding the camp pull back.

The Sudanese authorities justified the raid by claiming to have received reliable intel about weapons smuggled recently into Kalma camp which is at a strategic position because of its proximity to the Nyala airport and railways.

However camp leaders who spoke to Sudan Tribune firmly denied the presence of any weapons.

Today the United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) issued a strongly worded statement condemning the “excessive force” used by Sudanese authorities.

“UNAMID strongly condemns the excessive, disproportionate use of lethal force by the GoS security forces against civilians, which violated their human rights and resulted in unacceptable casualties” the mission said in an unusually harsh statement today.

The South Darfur officials also said that the attack is a breach of Al-Bashir’s promises during his tour in the region last month.

One source told Sudan Tribune that the adviser to the South Darfur governor Al-Magdoom Salah Fadl confronted Al-Bashir during his tour telling him that his call for refugees to return to their homes is unrealistic.

“He bluntly told Al-Bashir that the refugees’ lands have been taken by re-settlers from other countries and that the displaced have nowhere to go” the source said.

Some observers and experts have alleged that Khartoum brought in Arab tribes from neighboring countries who took over the lands of the African population.

Yesterday’s attack comes more than a month after the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo announced in mid-July that he requested an arrest warrant for Al-Bashir.

Ocampo filed 10 charges: three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of murder and accused Al-Bashir of masterminding a campaign to get rid of the African tribes in Darfur; Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa.

Most of the Kalma camp residents are from the Fur tribe.

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)