Chadian-Sudanese force hands over rebels involved in Bashar’s death
May 8, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The joint Chadian-Sudanese border force handed over several Darfurian insurgents involved in an attack on a convoy of a splinter rebel leader after the signing of a peace agreement with the Sudanese government in 2013.
Mohamed Bashar, chief of splinter faction of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM-Bashir) was killed with a number of leading members of his group on 12 May 2013 after the signing of a peace agreement in Doha.
His convoy was heading to El-Fashir from Chad when they were ambushed by a group of JEM fighters inside the Chadian territory not far from the border, according to the JEM-Bashar. However JEM rebels say they repelled an attack Bashar carried out on their troops in the Sudanese party of the border.
At the time the joint Chadian-Sudanese force was tasked with pursuing the JEM rebels. It was also reported that Bakheit Abdallah Abdel-Karim (Dabajo) who took the leadership of the splinter group participated also in the operation.
The joint force arrested some suspects involved in the killing of the Justice and Equality Movement leader Mohamed Bashar, his deputy Arko Dahiya and another five leading members, reported the semi-official Sudanese Media Centre (SMC) on Friday.
The joint force handed over five suspects to the Sudanese police, the news service said, adding that a military source pointed that they have been hunting for the perpetrators of the attack since that April 2013.
JEM- Dabajo says some of its members are still detained by the rebel JEM and claims they are currently held in the neighbouring South Sudan.
In a related development, Khartoum announced that President Idriss Deby will attend the sworn-in ceremony of President Omer al-Bashir.
Deby on Friday received in his office the director of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Mohamed Atta who delivered him the invitation letter.
(ST)