Darfur rebel leader hails decision by Spielberg to boycott China Olympics

By Wasil Ali

February 12, 2008 (PARIS) — Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur, leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), today welcomed the decision by the famous US film director Steven Spielberg to quit his role as an artistic advisor to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“This is a noble move by Spielberg. He will certainly go down in history as someone who gave human lives precedent over fame and money” Al-Nur said.

In a surprise move the US director said he can no longer reconcile being part of the Olympics while China has been reluctant to use its special relations with Sudan to end the violence in the war ravaged region of Darfur.

“I have made repeated efforts to encourage the Chinese government to use its unique influence to bring
safety and stability to the Darfur region of Sudan. Although some progress has been made along the way, most notably, the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1769, the situation in Darfur continues to worsen and the violence continues to accelerate” Spielberg said in a statement released by his office today.

“I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual. At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies, but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur” he added.

Al-Nur accused Beijing of backing Khartoum directly and indirectly in its military campaign in Darfur.

“They are providing the Sudanese government with the arms that are used to kill my people in Darfur. Make no mistake, the Chinese government knows very well that their weapons fuel the plight of civilians in Darfur” he said.

The rebel leader also said that the economic interests of the Chinese in Sudan “provides the lifeline to Khartoum and emboldens it in the face of international pressure” Al-Nur added.

“Beijing claims that their investments in Sudan will promote peace and development. The truth is that in the last five years millions of my people have been living in camps with no hope into the future. The number of refugees is not getting any smaller. This is sheer hypocrisy” he added.

Energy-hungry China buys two-thirds of Sudan’s oil output and has refineries, a pipeline and joint exploration projects in the east African country. As a veto wielding member in the UN Security Council, they protected Sudan from international condemnation and sanctions causing frustration among Western powers and human rights group worldwide.

China while nervous about the prospects of tarnishing their upcoming Olympics appeared to challenge efforts by Darfur advocates.

Last month, the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s flagship newspaper and foreign ministry said China would never submit to pressure from groups trying to use the Olympics to change Chinese policy.

Al-Nur called on world figures and athletes associated with the China Olympics to follow a similar path to that of Spielberg though he did not explicitly call for a boycott.

“The genocide in Darfur may happen tomorrow in another part of the world. We must all work together to put an end to this vicious circle of human misery” he said.

International experts estimate 200,000 have died and 2.5 million displaced in five years of conflict in Darfur.

Washington calls the violence genocide, a term Khartoum rejects. They blame the West for exaggerating the conflict.

(ST)