Resignation of leading member of Darfur former rebel group
Dec 28, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — The spokesperson of the chairperson of SLM-Minni Minawi presented his resignation from the former rebel faction in protest for the failure of Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA).
Mahgoub Hussein, the official spokesperson of the chairperson of the Sudan Liberation Movement Minni Minawi, resigned from the SLM-MM for failure of the DPA and the faction to achieve peace and stability in the troubled region of Darfur.
Hussein also said that the SLM had lost its legitimacy to express the will and the aspirations of Darfur people.
But Seif Haroun, the spokesperson of the SLM-MM, denied that Hussein had delivered his resignation to Minni Minawi. He further invited Hussein to address his critics within the institutions of the movement not through the media.
Hussein said last week that the SLM-MM had prepared a list of Sudanese official involved in Darfur war crimes and it would be presented the International Criminal Court. But, his statement had been dismissed by Seif Haroun.
The former rebel faction faces growing frustration among its members because the DPA is not implemented since May 2006. Also Minawi troops on the ground have been attacked by the Khartoum backed militia several times.
Two weeks ago, three leading commanders have joined the holdout rebel groups saying there is no tangible peace on the ground and their situation remained unchanged.
Sudanese government delays the implementation of the DPA saying it would be better to wait the signing of the other holdout groups to distribute the ministerial posts; also it argues that it can not disarm its militia as far as the rebellion continues.
Aware of the growing frustration within Minawi troops, Sudanese government proposed last week to integrate to the Sudanese army Minawi forces and other rebel factions which signed the DPA. According to the DPA, this integration should come after the disarmament of the militia and within a mechanism supervised by the AU.
But the ongoing process of integration would lead to the integration of the former rebels to the Sudanese army and its militia without the participation of the African Union.
(ST)