Darfur rebels say government implementing new security plan

July 29, 2010 (WASHINGTON) — The establishment of a new commission by Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir to oversee Darfur strategy is in reality to launch a new security and military campaign that include among other things dismantling the IDP camps, two senior Darfur rebel figures said today.

The commission is headed by presidential adviser Ghazi Salah Al-Deen Al-Attabani and includes the ministers of defence, interior, foreign affairs, finance and media as well as the governors of Darfur’s three states and a representative of the Transitional Regional Authority (TRA) of Darfur which is controlled by the SLM’s ex-rebel faction of Minni Arcua Minnawi.

“The regime now believes the international community gave them the green light to do whatever they want in Darfur since the focus now shifted to the South Sudan referendum” Justice and Equality Movement spokesperson Ahmed Hussein told Sudan Tribune.

“Their vision is to domesticate the Darfur peace by finding what they called peace from within and got [US special envoy Scott] Gration’s approval. They have tried this before in the South and failed” adding that Khartoum believes that resolving the crisis entails taking down the camps for the displaced and forcing their return to their villages.

The JEM official accused the Sudanese government of standing behind the violent events in a number of IDP camps over the last few days.

Today the African Union – United Nations peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) confirmed three deaths on Wednesday night in Zalingi, West Darfur, after refugees who oppose the peace talks fought with others who support it.

Two residents told Reuters that fighting erupted again in the Kalma camp in South Darfur on Thursday, killing five people.

The Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), led by Abdel Wahid Mohamed el-Nur had denied that its members shot gunfire in the camp and accused the government of infiltrating the camp through its agents along with weapons and ammunitions.

The JEM spokesperson agreed with SLM’s version of the story and dismissed UNAMID’s account that the killings followed clashes between SLM-Nur loyalists and followers of the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) which is currently the only group in talks with Khartoum.

“This is bigger than clash between [Al-Tigani] Al-Sissi’s [LJM chief] and Al-Nur’s people. This is part of a plan by the [Sudanese] government to find an excuse to raid the camp on grounds of chronic insecurity and then seize the opportunity to take apart the camps because they think this is the road to making the Darfur conflict disappear” he said.

“The IDP’s and refugees issued their verdict on the Doha process and rejected it so now the government wants to retaliate” Hussein said.

The JEM spokesperson called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate these events and urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) to intervene saying this constitutes a war crime”.

JEM has suspended participation in the Qatar-hosted peace talks despite a promising start which led to signing of a framework agreement earlier this year. The movement accused the government of breaching the temporary ceasefire agreement and attacking its positions.

Hussein said that the UNSC must look closely at the peace process and seek a “complete revamp” of it. He also accused the UNAMID of “inefficiency” saying that they have failed in protecting the people.

“They just stood there and watched. They are part of the plan by Khartoum” he said.

JEM’s top military commander Suleiman Sandal also accused the Sudanese government seeking to launch a new military campaign in Darfur and in Kordofan stressing that their target is “the marginalized people”.

“The National Congress Party is lying and deceiving the Sudanese people. The fugitive president wants to start a new genocide campaign in Darfur” Sandal said.

The ICC earlier this month charged al-Bashir with three counts of genocide against the Fur, Masaalit and Zaghawa ethnic groups in the western Sudanese region of Darfur. The court had issued a warrant against al-Bashir in March for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

(ST)