Darfur signatory groups use South African military instructors without Sudan agreement

February 6, 2022 (KHARTOUM) – South African military instructors trained combatants affiliated with peace signatory groups in Darfur without the agreement of the Sudanese government, the UN panel of independent experts said.

In a report to the UN Security Council dated January 24, the experts tasked with monitoring arms embargo and sanctions imposed on Darfur in 2005 said that the Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi and the Gathering of the Sudan Liberation Forces (GSLF) hired foreign trainers for their fighters.

“From December 2020 to July 2021, nine independently contracted South African nationals trained new recruits of the signatory movements at their training camps in North Darfur,” reads the report.

“The training took place at the SLA/MM training camp in Orusheng (near Abu Gamra) and the GSLF camp in Aboulia,” further added the experts based on their own investigations.

The Sudanese army denied having been informed about the training operations.

Also, a member of the Sovereign Council told the experts that such training by foreign instructors was “unacceptable”.

The Sudanese government delayed the implementation of the security arrangements pointing to the lack of money.

Signatory groups from the Darfur region continue their mercenary activities in Libya saying this would provide them with the needed resources to feed their combatants in Darfur.

The reports say the Darfur groups continue to send newly recruited fighters to Libya despite the international pressure to end their presence there.

Based on information by the joint Sudanese Chadian border force, the experts speak about the continued movement of armed fighters from the two groups between Libya and Darfur thought Chad.

Further, they mention accusations by Chadian rebel groups that the SLM-MM and the GSLF support the Chadian army in its war against the rebels in Chad or Libya, “on the ground of shared Zaghawa affiliation between them and Deby,” reads the report.

The panel, however, “has found no evidence of such intervention of Darfurian movements in Chad”.

Developing mistrust

The report underscored a developing mistrust between the Sudanese army and the signatory groups.

The Sudanese authorities from one side balm the former rebels for various breaches such as bringing some fighters to Khartoum and big cities, failure to canton their forces in the agreed sites and recruitment of new fighters.

On the other hand, the armed groups suspect the government of delaying the security arrangements, particularly the integrations of the combatants, to undermine them. Also, they say that the Sudanese army fabricated the Third Front-Tamazuj to undermine them.

The report which was based on interviews before the coup of October 2021, does not mention the recent developments as SLM-MM, the Justice and Equality Movement of Gibril Ibrahim and Tamazuj are now the allies of the coup leaders.

The delay in the implementation of the security arrangements in South Sudan led to the fragmentation of the former armed opposition groups and many of them rallied the government forces loyal to President Salva Kiir.

However, Darfur armed groups with mercenary activities in Libya have the means to ensure their own funding.