Split appears in Dabajo group

August 9, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The syndrome of split and divisions has hit Darfurian group of the Justice and Equality Movement – Dabajo (JEM-Dabajo) two years after the signing of a peace agreement with the Sudanese government in April 2013.

Two factions led by JEM–Dabajo leader and his deputy issued a series of statements indicating a split within the group. The former rebel group broke away from JEM historical group led by Gibril Ibrahim in September 2012.

The group leader Bakheit Abdallah Abdel-Karim alias Dabajo on Sunday issued a statement relieving his deputy al-Tom Suleiman Mohamed Arbaa without motivating this decision.

Dabajo’s decision was followed by a statement signed by the group’s spokesperson Sadiq Zakaria saying that “the majority of the Executive Bureau of the Movement, political and military leaders and all state offices” have decided to suspend the leader of group and to replace him by Arbaa .

The splinter faction reiterated its commitment of to the signed peace agreement and called on the holdout rebels to join the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).

The statement also provided that Arbaa shall work to finalize the peace deal particularly the security arrangements and the DDR of the remaining combatants in South, West and east Darfur states.

Few hours after, Dabajo’s group retaliated by a statement issued by the speaker of the Movement’s legislative body, Sabri Aldaw Bakheit, saying that Bakheit Dabajo remains the sole leader of the group “and not relieved as it was reported”.

The statement further underscored that only the speaker who calls for an extraordinary meeting in accordance with the movement status ,adding that he didn’t call for any meeting. It added that the organs of the Movement work normally and were not affected by this row.

Sources within Dabajo’s faction pointed to the accusations of the splinter faction that Dabajo had a hostile position against the head of Darfur Regional Authority (DRA) Tijani al-Sissi and claimed that Arbaa’s group was supported by the latter.

JEM-Dabajo recently voiced its support for the candidacy of Osman al-Bushra for the regional authority and criticized al-Sissi who chairs the DRA since four years ago.

Earlier this year, the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) split into two factions one headed by al-Sissi and the other by his former secretary-general Bhar Idriss Abu Garda.

There were two rebel groups when the Darfur conflict erupted in 2003. Since, analysts say divisions among the armed movements continue to harm the plight of Darfurians and obstruct ongoing efforts to end the crisis.

(ST)