Darfur rebels vow to protect civilians, aid workers
July 11, 2008 (GENEVA) — Two of the main rebel groups in Darfur pledged on Friday to protect civilians and aid workers in the western Sudanese region where a dire humanitarian situation has worsened amid escalating insecurity, a joint statement said.
The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement Unity faction also said that they would improve the flow of aid and intercept any stolen relief supplies or hijacked vehicles that move through their territories.
They vowed not to target civilians, destroy their property, or recruit children. Rapists would also be prosecuted.
“We strongly denounce all attacks on humanitarian workers, car-jacking and condemn the recent attack on UNAMID,” the rebels said in a statement issued after a two-day meeting in Geneva.
A joint United Nations-African Union (UNAMID) peacekeeping mission was ambushed this week by militia in North Darfur who killed seven peacekeepers and wounded 22 in the worst direct attack since its forces began work on Dec 31.
International organisations in Sudan tightened security on Friday fearing a violent backlash if the International Criminal Court seeks an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir as expected on Monday.
The U.N. declined to comment on preparations, but an urgent security notice sent to U.N. staff in Khartoum seen by Reuters there urged staff to “upgrade their personal security measures.”
Up to 200,000 people have fled violence in Darfur this year, while 164 humanitarian vehicles have been stolen, according to the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue which hosted the talks.
ATTRITION RATE
Eight Sudanese aid workers have been killed and 139 abducted so far in 2008, including 60 drivers still missing, it said.
“Personally I don’t see how the humanitarian agencies can continue at this rate of attack and attrition. I don’t see how they can sustain it, this is beyond any normal limits,” Dennis McNamara, who chaired the talks, told a final news conference.
Some 17,000 aid workers, mainly Sudanese, are deployed in Darfur, the world’s biggest humanitarian operation which costs up to $800 million in aid a year, according to the aid veteran.
“This is a pretty impressive statement of commitments and I hope we can get a similar statement from the government of Sudan and other groups. In the end, the buck stops at home,” he said.
Another SLA faction loyal to popular founder Abdel Wahed Mohamed el-Nur declined to attend, but a separate meeting with Sudanese officials was planned in coming months, McNamara added.
Attacks on U.N. food convoys have forced a cut in rations to millions in Darfur by almost half since May, and government promises of escorts for aid trucks have not materialised.
Sherif Harir, a prominent SLM Unity leader, said: “We have an interest in facilitating the work of humanitarian agencies because they are a lifeline for 300,000 refugees in Chad and close to 4 million IDPs (internally displaced persons) in Sudan.”
Ahmed Hussein, a London-based spokesman who led the JEM team, said: “The overall objective is to make the environment conducive for a meaningful kind of political process.”
Experts estimate 200,000 people have died in Darfur and 2.5 million have been driven by their homes since mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in 2003. Khartoum, which mobilised mostly Arab militia to quell the revolt, says just 10,000 have died.
(Reuters)