Sudan says no plans to disarm all Arab tribes in Darfur

CAIRO, Sept 23 (AFP) — A top official from Sudan’s ruling party said Thursday that the government will not disarm “Arab tribes” in the troubled Darfur region, saying they were not all members of the Janjaweed militia.

“The government and international community are not in agreement over the definition of the Janajweed,” National Congress party secretary general Ibrahim Omar told a press conference in Cairo.

“We do not consider Arab tribes and their leaders Janjaweed,” he said, adding that the international community appeared to consider all Arab tribes in Darfur Janjaweed.

However, he said the government in Khartoum was disarming outlawed gangs – made up of criminal elements from Arab and African tribes – that Sudan considered Janjaweed.

The Sudanese government is under intense pressure from the international community to disarm the pro-government Arab Janjaweed militias blamed for many of the atrocities in Darfur, including rape and murder.

“Disarming the Janjaweed as we understand it, has began, but disarming the Janjaweed as the international community defines them is unacceptable,” Omar said.

About 50,000 people have been killed in the 19-month conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan, which pits government forces and their Arab militia allies against Darfur rebels, according to UN estimates.

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution last Saturday calling for an investigation into charges of human rights violations and genocide in Darfur, and warned Sudan of possible sanctions against its oil industry unless it protects the region’s population.