Rally in London against minister allegedly involved in Darfur killing
July 5, 2006 (LONDON) — Refugees from Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region will rally Thursday against the visiting Sudanese minister of Interior who is allegedly one of 17 names recommended by a UN report for his support to Arab militia in Darfur.
“Survivors of ethnic cleansing in Darfur will tomorrow stage a demonstration outside the Royal United Services Institute” (RUSI) from 10:00am to 2:00pm”, the anti genocide group Aegis Trust said in a press release. Sudanese Minister for the Interior is set to address a conference there.
Since spring 2003 Sudanese Government forces and Arab militia have carried out ?ethnic cleansing’ against the civilian population in Darfur, resulting, according to Foreign Office, in as many as 400,000 deaths. Around 2 million have been forced from their homes and are relying on international aid to survive.
According to the leaked appendices of the confidential UN Sanctions Committee report, Taha is identified for a “failure to take appropriate action to employ police forces” to disarm the Janjaweed. In fact, during his period of tenure, far from disarming the Janjaweed, he has been widely reported to have brought militia elements into the Sudanese police and army.
He is a prominent member of the National Islamic Front (NIF), in effect the military wing of the ruling party National Congress Party, and supported ?Jihad’ in the south of Sudan, where he also fought. He argued against the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the civil war with the south.
The NIF has been ruthless in its use of violence, both in Darfur and during the Second Sudanese Civil War. Allegations are on public record that the NIF may also have terrorist connections. In 1998, during terrorism expert Steven Emerson’s testimony before the US Senate, he implicated the NIF as partly responsible for the February 1993 World Trade Centre attack.
“While it is important that all parties to the conflict strive for a peaceful settlement, it is unethical to give a platform to a man such as Taha, liable to have the blood of hundreds of thousands of people on his hands,” says Dr James Smith, Chief Executive of the Aegis Trust for genocide prevention, which coordinates the ?Protect Darfur’ campaign. “If the British Government shares the UN view that Taha is an obstacle to peace, surely it’s wrong to allow him the chance to grandstand at an international conference.”
(Aegis/ST)