Darfur’s Minawi demands Janjaweed be disarmed

Nov 26 (KHARTOUM) — Darfur former rebel turned presidential adviser, Minni Arcua Minawi, urged authorities on Sunday to disarm militias, saying attacks on civilians could break a peace deal.

Under the May peace accord, which was signed by Minawi’s group but rejected by two other rebel factions, the government undertook to disarm its proxy militias by Oct. 22.

But African Union and U.N. officials report that more arms are being given to the militia.

“This is one of the most important parts of the agreement to disarm the Janjaweed,” Minawi told a news conference after a trip to Darfur. “It is a breaking point for the peace deal if the Janjaweed are not disarmed.”

“We know there is activity of the Janjaweed and the Janjaweed is active all over Darfur and we are totally against that,” he said.

Under the May deal Minawi became presidential adviser with special powers over Darfur. But little else has been implemented from the accord and Minawi has lost territory in Darfur to rebels opposed to the deal who renewed hostilities in June.

Experts estimate 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven from their homes to camps during more than 3-1/2 years of fighting in Darfur.

Mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003 accusing central government of marginalising the remote region. Khartoum mobilised proxies to quell the revolt. Those militia stand accused of a campaign of rape, murder and pillage which Washington has called genocide.

Khartoum denies any links to the Janjaweed and genocide. A U.N.-appointed inquiry found no genocide but said that some individuals may have acted with genocidal intent.

Civilians in the Jabel Moun and Sirba areas of West Darfur in the past month were attacked by militia and in one attack more than half the victims were children.

“The Janjaweed must be disarmed and their movement must be stopped and civilians must be protected by whomever,” Minawi told reporters in Khartoum’s Republican Palace.

(Reuters)