Rebels arrest census takers in Darfur

May 2, 2008 (LONDON) — A Darfur rebel group arrested a team of census takers in the war-torn Darfur region. The rebels warned the enumerators to stop the census operations and to leave the region.

The Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM)-Unity Command arrested a number of census takers in the Darfur region and “will bring them to trial in the liberated territories as enemies and their punishment could be death, according to the law of the movement.” a statement said.

Mahgoub Hussein the spokesperson of the SLM-Unity said that they arrested a team of 13 enumerators led by Hassan Ali Daw albitt in Shairiah, south Darfur. Also he cited the arrest of another census team headed by Issa al-Hafiz in Aloait Jaralnabi in the same state.

The rebel group said it had warned the census enumerators to not conduct census operations in the region.

Mahgoub further said the arrested persons will be brought to justice.

“Movement was formed military courts in the liberated territories, and will issue its rulings in their right under the law of movement as enemies belonging to the Sudanese army and did not abide by warnings issued.”

Darfur rebel groups, which had demand postponement of census till the signing of a peace deal, expressed they opposition to the ongoing census operations in Darfur.

They said they do not trust the outcome of the census because millions of Darfuris are displaced while Khartoum plans to count new immigrants from Arab tribes recently arrived from neighbouring countries.

The Sudan population and housing fifth census which had been delayed several times, started on April 22 and will continue to May 6, 2008.

(ST)