Government of Sudan repopulates Darfur with Alien Nomads
July 31, 2007 (GENEVA) — As early as 2002, the pattern of organized and selective attacks against civilians, destruction of villages and killing of Darfur’s indigenous African tribes was increasingly worsening. The situation deteriorated many fold in early 2003 when the government of Sudan decided to draft the Janjaweed in its scorched-earth campaign in Darfur. They were allowed carte blanche to summarily execute villagers, rape women and indiscriminately destroy lives ad livelihoods in the region with utter impunity. In March 2004 the then UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan Mr. Mukesh Kapila described the situation in Darfur as “ethnic cleansing” and that “The slaughter in Darfur is more than just a conflict, it is an organized attempt to do away with a group of people.” This explains the government adamant refusal to disarm the Janjaweed militia and protect Sudan’s rightful citizens in Darfur despite numerous calls to this effect.
Efforts of the government of Sudan to resettle alien nomads in areas of Darfur from which the indigenous populations were forcibly displaced or to move groups of Arabs from other parts of Sudan into these areas were outlined in a document of the office of the Commissioner of Kuttum Province, North Darfur state, dated 12th February 2004. The document indicated that resettlement of Darfur by nomad groups was a key government strategy. Earlier this month UN reported the movement of up to 30,000 Arab nomads from neighboring countries into Darfur in May and June 2007 alone. These groups moved from Chad and Niger with their entire families and belongings and were relocated by the Janjaweed and the authorities to areas formerly inhabited by the internally displaced persons (IDPs). Citizenship and identity cards were provided to these groups by the government upon arrival. Repopulation was also reported in south Darfur State where nomads from elsewhere in Sudan have been resettled into villages that were once home to indigenous African tribes. Some of these groups were presented as returning IDPs.
The continued forceful displacement of the original inhabitants of Darfur and the resettlement of alien nomads in their areas will unequivocally jeopardize any endeavor for a peaceful resolution of the armed conflict in Darfur. It also represents a serious trigger of future devastating conflicts. The government policy of changing the demographic composition of Darfur by resettling alien nomads in the region is politically motivated. It is believed to be the first leg in consolidating the government power base as an advance phase in its overall programme of extending the Arab belt into black Africa.
We call upon the international community to pay special attention to this serious development and persuade Sudan to put an immediate end to such dangerous policy. We urge the UN Security Council to expedite the process of deploying the AU/UN hybrid peacekeeping force in Darfur with a robust mandate to protect the defenseless civilian victims of the tragic humanitarian situation in the region. Special efforts should be deployed to impede and disallow the resettlement of alien nomads in Darfur.
– 1. Darfur Peace and Development (Forts Wayne, USA)
– 2. Darfur Peace and Justice (Brussels, Belgium)
– 3. Darfur Call (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
– 4. Darfur Centre for Human Rights & Development (London, UK)
– 5. Darfur Relief & Documentation Centre (Geneva, Switzerland)
27, Ch. des Crêts-de-Pregny, 1218 Grand-Saconnex, Geneva (Switzerland) Tel: 0041 22 747 00 89
Fax: 0041 22 747 00 38 E-mail: [email protected] Webpage http://www.darfurcentre.ch