Sudanese presidential assistant issues veiled threat to Darfuri tribal chief
September 22, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s presidential assistant, Nafie Ali Nafie, has implicitly criticized the leader of the Darfurian Arab Mahameed clan leader, Musa Hilal, and warned that nobody, whatever his position was, could impose his will on the state.
He indirectly addressed Hilal without mentioning his name saying that “whoever wants to be appreciated must abide by the [country’s] institutions”.
Earlier this month, Hilal, who is also a member of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and advisor at the Sudan Federal Government Chambers (SFGC), fiercely attacked senior government officials and in particular the governor of North Darfur state Osman Mohamed Youssef Kibir.
The tribal chief, who is believed to be one of the notorious Janjaweed leaders who have unleashed terror in Darfur, launched an unprecedented attack on Kibir and accused him of triggering the tribal clashes between the Beni Hussein and Rezeigat.
Inter-tribal clashes erupted last January between members of the rival Arab Northern Rezeigat (Aballa) and Beni Hussein tribes, fighting for control of the region’s gold mines and claimed 839 lives and injured thousands others.
The UN estimates that some 150,000 people have been displaced following a spate of attacks by armed Aballa militias, elements of which include the notorious Janjaweed forces, which hit the headlines 10 years ago for brutal atrocities allegedly committed at the behest of the Sudanese government.
Hilal held another reconciliation conference between the two tribes saying he does not recognize a similar conference that North Darfur governor had organized a few months ago.
Kibir, for his part, says that he has a mandate from president Omer Al-Bashir to fight tribal clashes which have become the main source of violence and insecurity in the region since the beginning of this year.
Nafie said that anyone who claims to be backed by Khartoum is deceiving himself, adding that nobody has “status” outside the institutions and anyone who deviates from the institutions would be “eaten by the wolf” no matter who he is.
“The group [Muslim Brotherhood], the NCP, and the state have created both the committed leaders and those who deviated from the path”, he said
In a separate issue, Nafie reiterated the government’s determination to lift fuel subsidies and said the only available alternative is scarcity and high prices, pointing that cutting subsidies would prevent smuggling to the neighboring countries.
The Sudanese official further said that if the new economic measures are not implemented, Sudan’s economy would be dependent on foreign parties which he didn’t name, stressing the need to increase wheat production and prevent holding public money in government companies.
Nafie affirmed that the government continues to establish development projects in Darfur and considered the development projects in North Darfur a paradigm to be followed by other states.
He praised North Darfur state for launching development and peace building projects at a cost of $400,000 as well as microfinance projects at the same cost.
(ST)