Darfur displaced persons say decided to boycott US envoy
September 11, 2009 (PARIS) – Darfur Internally Displaced People will not meet the visiting US special envoy when he comes to the troubled region, a spokesperson told Sudan Tribune.
President Barack Obama’s special envoy for Sudan, Major General J. Scott Gration, is expected to meet IDPs in Abu Shouk and Zam Zam camps in North Darfur to assess humanitarian situation there and meet Darfur women to discuss sexual violence there. Also he will head to Air Siro, a village in North Darfur to meet civil society leaders.
Representatives of Darfur camps for displaced civilians decided on Thursday to boycott Mr. Gration during his visit to Darfur and not allow him to visit the camps, Hussein Abu Sharati said from Darfur.
The IDPs representatives say Gration had ignored their demand for security and did nothing to ease the bad humanitarian situation particularly after the expulsion of 13 foreign aid groups last March.
During a visit to South Darfur on July 18, Gration met with 48 IDPs representatives of Darfur camps in Kalma. The US official sought to hear their claims and points of view on the Doha peace process.
At the meeting they had stressed on the need to disarm government backed militias before any peace process saying “there would be no peace in Darfur even if a peace agreement is concluded because we are not sure they would lay down their arms after peace,” they told Gration.
However, Gration according to the IDPs spokesperson Gration urged to ease sanctions on Khartoum, spoke about the “remnants of genocide” and continues to ignore the humanitarian situation.
“Unless he changes his position and takes account of our demands he is not welcomed in our camps because he does not consider us.”
“It is better for President Obama to appoint someone else” he added.
The UN officials responsible for the humanitarian operations have said some 2.7 million people have been displaced by the violence in the region of western Sudan, where rebel forces have been battling government troops and the government-backed militias for more than six years. More than 300,000 people have been killed.
(ST)
DASODIKO
Darfur displaced persons say decided to boycott US envoy
THANKS BROTHER HAMID,
Dear brothers,
We all are following very carefully the attempts in Juba, Tripoli and Addis to what they called the “unification of movements” these attempts are flawed and dangerous precedent to liquidate Darfur causes and briefly I will back my assertions by evidences:
First, Mr. Gration priority is the CPA and he wants to gain concession to Southerns by pressuring GoS to yield for the all of their key demand; in reciprocation, Gration will close Darfur chapter in package of concession to GoS. Mr. Gration till now he is not willing to address the root causes of the Darfur Genocide; he is more into addressing the consequence of the genocide such as voluntary return of refugees, ceasefire and revisting Abuja as a corner stone to any future accord.
Second, Mr. Gration is in line with Mr. Gahzi SalihDeen to use tribal quotas like in Iraq and Lebanon in very unprecedented way to institutionalize the tribal and ethnics division that will lurk in our neighborhoods for many years to come. It is the most dangerous attempt so far by Gration to divide the Fur tribe between Abdelwahid and non-Abdelwahid camp; this will create inter-tribal warfare that will further erode the social cohesion. It is wrong policy and it is not good for Darfur.
Third, what they called “Doha civil society workshop” is an attempt to create cover to bring these opportunistic figures to find them an easy exit or pretext for elusive peace and soon we will cover Doha agreement as twin sister of Abuja. One of those fatal attempts, two weeks ago, they met in Addis with symbolic figures, which are tired, and exhausted if not outstraight a home sick “rebel leaders.” In Addis, the gathered figures are desperately want to sign any piece of paper for their own welfare and they forgotten the mess they have created behind them. Moreover, what they called “civil society leaders” is merely composed of NCP and some opportunistic figures from the margin of refugee camps, they want to cash in on the sacrifice of others. These symbolic figures and “civil society leades” neither have meaningful military presence on ground nor have popular support in the camps. If they have power let them give Gration a ceasefire or make the refugees return to their villages and towns!
The Arab countries all are geared toward closing this chapter without genuine solution to the problem but as Darfuri are we ready? As Darfuri no one can chart our fate or dictate to us to ignore our rights. We will fight for it without any apology. Gration does not understand the nature and complexity of Darfur issue except the power of US that he wants to exercise in an arrogant way. Deja vous Rober Zoellick and Alex D. Let your concerns reach Gration office; I have written to them and I told them I did not find a single Darfuri in agreement with his approach or what he is doing. Gration is reading form play book written by Gahzai Salih Deen on Darfur, while Gahzi is reading from CPA version written in Washington by Dr. Power. Just let us keep up the pressure and remain united and at last people will win and justice shall overcome.
Best regards,
Hamid E Ali