Darfur rebel commander confident in SLM unity

Dec 10, 2006 (PARIS) — A Darfur rebel commander said that efforts are undertaken in the troubled western Sudan region to reunite the factions of the main rebel group.

Commander Suleiman Marjan, a leading rebel from the SLM-Abdelwhahid Mohamed Ahmed al-Nur, told Sudan Tribune by telephone satellite that rebel commanders in the movement are behind Al-Nur leadership. He further denied his sack from the movement as it was said by Ahmed Abdelshafi Bassey.

Marjan said “we had some reserves over Adelwahid al-Nur management of the movement but we have never overthrown him. Measures taken by Bassy are not correct and we disagree totally with him.”

Ahmed Abdelsahafi Bassy said in a press release on 18 August that 32 leaders of the SLM/A Military Council and the Field Command, in a meeting held on 25 July in undisclosed place in Sudan’s Darfur region, removed the SLM historical leader Abdelwahid al-Nur from the leadership of the movement.

According to Suleiman Marjan, who is from Meidob ethnic group and was one of the G19, the above-mentioned meeting was held by the field commanders who disapproved some steps taken by Abdelwahid. He refused to give details of the divergences but added that they resolved these issues.

He stressed that SLA field commanders would soon debate the question and would go united to negotiate with the Sudanese government.

ARAB REBEL GROUP

Asked about the new Arab rebel group and if they have contacts with them, Marjan said they held a meeting with the Popular Forces Army leadership in November and they encouraged them to go ahead in their enterprise.

The SLA leader commander hailed their last week attack on a government garrison saying we welcome this step from honest people of Darfur and we are going to work with them to end the suffering of Darfur, and build a lasting peace in the region.

A new rebel group, the Popular Forces Troops (PFT) said in a statement issued Wednesday that they had repulsed an attack by the Sudanese army against their position at Kas-Zallingi Road in South Darfur on Tuesday 5 December. In a press release signed by Commander Yassin Youcif, the group said it had destroyed Alzubair garrison, about 90 kilometres from Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.

According to Marjan, most of Darfur Arabs are not involved in the Sudanese crimes in the region. He indicated that the Arab militia known as Janjaweed comes mainly from Chad.

He accused the Sudanese Defence minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein who visited Darfur on 16 November of holding a meeting in Mistiria in North Darfur with leaders of Chadian rebels and Chadian Arab tribes in presence of Musa Hilal.

Mistiria is the home town and base of Musa Hilal, the alleged coordinator of the militia known as the Janjaweed who have been accused of committing atrocities in the conflict in Darfur.

According to Marjan, this meeting was attended also by Ahmed Haroun the former State Minister of the Ministry of Interior and the current State Minister at the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, who is also accused of being one of the Nuba Mountains ethnic cleansing earlier in the ninety.

The new comers from Chadian Arab tribes agreed in this meeting to work with the Sudanese army who is unable to confront the guerrilla on the ground, the SLA commander said.

Marjan said this deal can explain why this militia is so aggressive with Darfur people and attacks even the police officers from Darfurian African tribes.

AL-FASHER ATTACKS

Marajan, who is the leading commander of the SLA in North Darfur, condemned the Jajaweed attacks in the region. He indicates that the militia attacked Al-Fasher market to steal cattle after doing the same thing in many areas before.

He also denied African Union statement saying that a coalition of Darfur rebel groups plan to attack Al-Fasher and the AU headquarter there.

Marjan said SLA troops would never attack big towns in Darfur adding “this is a strategic choice because if we attack Al-Fasher we would give green light to Khartoum and its militia to implement their schema to achieve the extermination of our people in the IDPs camps”, he explained. (to read his statement on this issue please go at http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article19146

(ST)