Darfur Janjaweed leader says he traveled abroad despite UNSC sanctions

February 5, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The man believed to be one of the notorious Janjaweed leaders denied that he is unable to travel abroad.

Musa Hilal, who heads the Mahameed clan in Darfur, is on a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions list since April 2006 freezing his financial assets and imposing a travel ban on him.

Hilal was quoted as saying by al-Sudani newspaper as saying that he has made trips to four countries recently.

The UNSC has largely ignored enforcement of many resolutions on Sudan and particularly those relating to sanctions.

Hilal has been named by numerous eyewitnesses in Darfur as leading terror campaign against the African tribes in the war ravaged region. But the tribal figure has denied the allegations.

His daughter has recently been wed to Chadian president Idriss Deby and the reception was attended by head of UN Darfur peacekeeping mission Ibrahim Gambari.

The Darfur conflict began in 2003 when an ethnic minority rose up against the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum, which then was accused of enlisting the Janjaweed militia group to help crush the rebellion.

(ST)