Sudan’s NCP denies Janjaweed leader mutinied against state

December 14, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The chairman of Darfur peace follow-up office, Amin Hassan Omer, has denied that the leader of the Darfurian Arab Mahameed clan and MP, Musa Hilal, led a mutiny against the state.

Omer in press statements said that recent reports which they received concluded that Hilal has not rebelled, saying “we believe those reports”.

Last September, Hilal fiercely attacked senior government officials and in particular the governor of North Darfur state Osman Mohamed Youssef Kibir, accusing him of triggering the bloody tribal clashes between the Beni Hussein and Rezeigat.

In recent years he started making statements critical of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), of which he is a member, and calling for deep reforms.

Hilal was rumored to have left the NCP and joined the new party established this month by party defectors led by former presidential adviser Ghazi Salah al-Deen al-Attabani.

However, a spokesperson for Hilal dismissed these reports as false.

The tribal chief stands accused by many human rights groups of leading a terror campaign against the African tribes Sudan’s western region of Darfur.

But he has denied any wrongdoing and told Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a videotaped interview in 2005, that he only recruited militias on behalf of Sudan’s central government.

Sudan’s newly appointed 2nd Vice President Hassabo Mohamed Abdel-Rahman on Friday challenged Hilal to come to Khartoum if he is still a member of the NCP.

Abdel-Rahman at the same time called upon Darfurians to lay down arms and seek to achieve public interests.

The VP, who hails from Darfur, further urged Darfurians to furnish the presidency with their views and visions in this regard, stressing that the government would continue to make changes and renew faces in all state institutions.

He also pointed out that the objective of the recent changes within the government and the party is to remove political tension and maintain security and stability of the country.

In a related issue, Omer said in press statements on Saturday that the government is ready to negotiate with the rebel groups on the basis of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD), asserting that any talk about launching a new path for negotiations would only be a futile attempt.

The DDPD was finalized at the All Darfur Stakeholders Conference in May 2011 in Doha. In mid-July the Sudanese government and the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) led by al-Sissi signed a protocol agreement committing them to the document.

The Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) and Abdel-Wahid Nur (SLM-AW) and Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) refused to sign the accord and remain at war with Khartoum.

Omer ruled out making changes to the government’s negotiating committees in light of the cabinet reshuffle, disclosing that he will continue carrying out his work as chairman for the Darfur peace follow-up office.

He further said that he will attend on Sunday in North Darfur state capital of Al-Fashir the international meeting on the implementation of the DDPD which will be headed by the Qatari deputy prime minister, Ahmed bin Abdallah al-Mahmoud.

“We will hear from the mediator about the non-signatories who which to join the peace process in accordance to the DDPD”, he added

(ST)