Darfur rebel faction sacks its chief after death of commander in South Sudan
December 6, 2008 (NAIROBI) — A faction of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) has suspended its chairman following the killing of its chief commander in southern Sudan.
After the end of the reunification meetings in Juba, Abdel Shafi and his Secretary General Mohamed Ali Klay refused to return to Darfur and moved to Wau, capital of West Bahr Al-Ghazal State. Also a number of commanders of the rebel faction remained in Juba, due to the lack of means to return to Darfur.
Isam Al-Haj, the spokesperson of the rebel faction said that the higher council of the group tasked, the chief commander Sediq Abdel Karim to meet the commanders who went to Wau to join Abdel Shafi. Once in Wau the chief commander ordered the commanders to move for Darfur on September 30.
But on October 2, a unity of the SPLA followed the group and clashed with the rebels. Abdel Karim had been arrested, Al-Haj added.
The SLM- faction said they had contacts with Abdel Aziz Helou who is in charge with Darfur file, Luka Biog, the GOSS minister of Presidential affairs, and Riek Machar, GOSS vice-president.
The rebel faction didn’t accuse Abdel Shafi of killing Abdel Karim in its statement.
However it urges the southern Sudanese government to arrest Abdel Shaffi and to not authorize him to leave the south until the end of the probe. The group further urged the GOSS to investigate the circumstance of the murder of Abdel Karim and to try the responsible.
The SLM-Abdel Shafi was formed from rebel dissidents from Minawi group because they reject the Darfur Peace Agreement and a breakaway group from the founder of the rebel movement Abdel Wahid Al-Nur who refused to sign the DPA.
Ahmed Abdel Shafi was the chief commander of the SLA-AW but in August 2007 he formed his group from Asmara. He is considered by many as close to the SPLM.
(ST)