Sudanese president denies ethnic cleansing in Darfur, urges residents to return to normalcy
NYALA, Sudan, May 20, 2004 (AP) — Sudan’s president, protected by an entourage of heavy security, was upbeat and persuasive in a visit to the troubled Darfur region of his country, dancing to welcoming music and later denying claims of ethnic cleansing and urging citizens to help return the area to normalcy.
President Omar el-Bashir traveled to the second-largest city in Darfur on Wednesday with a group of Western diplomats and U.N. officials to show that calm is returning to the area since a cease-fire reached last month. The officials were welcomed by hundreds of thousands of people – some mounted on horses or camels, others on foot – who gathered in the main square and along the road to the airport.
At Nyala’s main square, horsemen from both Arab and African tribes paraded before the presidential podium in a display meant to prove tribal harmony.
“Let any one of our visitors tell if they can say who is Arab and who is African among those in this gathering,” el-Bashir said, responding to accusations that the Sudanese government has supported Arab militias in a campaign of ethnic cleansing against African tribes in the region.
“We thank God because we are able to come here today and in our company we have eyewitnesses from outside Sudan to see for themselves what they have heard about Darfur, about ethnic cleansing, genocide and about the worst humanitarian crisis in the world at present: We are telling them these are the people of Darfur, let them tell us if they can now differentiate between who is Arab and who is not Arab?” the president said.
Thousands of people are believed to have died since early 2003, when rebels began fighting for autonomy and greater state aid. The conflict has also displaced about 900,000 refugees in Darfur’s three states. Another 100,000 have fled into neighboring Chad. The U.N. and relief organizations have described it as a major humanitarian crisis.
“We want all the displaced and the refugees to return to their homeland. We want the farmers to return to their areas. We want you to cultivate your farms, and we will provide security and safety for those people,” el-Bashir told the crowd. “The federal government, the army, the police, the security, the popular defense forces, will all be at the service of Darfur people.”
El-Bashir blamed the fighting on “the enemies of Darfur and the enemies of Sudan who did not want to see any development.” He cited the murders of a number of engineers and water technicians by the rebels shortly after the outbreak of the insurgency.
“But whatever be the case, we insist that security and calm have to return to Darfur and … development should continue,” the president told the crowd, while military helicopters roamed the sky above.
Following the speech, el-Bashir inaugurated university hostels, a computer college, a health center and other medical buildings. Dancers performed at most of the sites.
Darfur, a largely desert area, is home to one-fifth of Sudan ‘s 30 million people. It is still believed to be insecure, with both sides accusing the other of violating the cease-fire.