Darfur JEM dismiss Khartoum warning on imminent attack

December 15, 2008 (LONDON) –- The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) denounced Khartoum’s propaganda aiming at scaring Sudanese from attacks that the rebel movement allegedly plan to wage in different parts of the country.

An unidentified official from the UNAMID, in statements he made to the press, admitted today that they had received reports from the Sudanese government about possible attacks in northern Darfur.

SMS Messages, which had been circulating on mobile phones yesterday, reported that the government warned the joint peacekeeping force against attacks that JEM could carry out in the North Darfur State. The SMS also suggest that the assailants could target El-Fasher, El-Obeid, and Khartoum.

The rebel spokesperson regretted that UNAMID had been used to disseminate a propaganda meaning to scare the Sudanese people from the JEM. Nonetheless, he underscored that during their last May raid in Omdurman they where well welcomed by the population and didn’t commit any crime against civilians.

“We have been always committed to the humanitarian conventions and never attacked civilians where ever we are.”

Ahmed Hussein Adam accused the government of distributing this “cheap propaganda” to divert the attention of the public opinion from the ongoing internal divisions and power struggle within the ruling National Congress Party.

“They attempt to draw the attention of the Sudanese street far from coup d’état scenarios that they are cooking each one against the other,” Ahmed said.

The rebel official also underlined that the troop build-up in southern Kordofan which “constitutes a clear violation of the CPA”, had been done under the pretext of fight against JEM,” he said. He further added that Khartoum had other plans for that region.

(ST)