JEM-SLA’s alliance with Sudanese army fuels war in Darfur: Arman
November 19, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The SPLM-N Revolutionary Democratic Current (RDC) led by Yasir Arman, expressed concern that the decision by two major Darfur groups to join forces with the Sudanese military could exacerbate conflict in the Darfur region.
On Thursday, Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim, JEM leader, and Darfur Governor Minni Arko Minawi, SLA leader, announced their movements’ departure from neutrality and alignment with the military against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group in the war against the Sudanese army for eight months now.
In a statement released on Sunday, RDC spokesman Ahmed Al-Sayadi warned that the stance taken by JEM and SLA leaders would only serve to exacerbate ethnic conflicts within Darfur.
He accused the two leaders of aligning themselves with the military and the National Congress Party (NCP), which he characterized as anti-democratic and opposed to the December Revolution.
“Their position is an extension of their opposition to democracy and the December Revolution, and their support for the October 25 coup, of which the April 15 war is a direct consequence,” Al-Sayadi stated.
He further accused Ibrahim and Minawi of being “sympathetic to the Islamic movement,” adding that their position of will “Fuel war and ethnic conflicts in Darfur. The Sudanese people, particularly those in Darfur, should not be misled by these empty promises.”.
Minnawi and Ibrahim defended their decision, stating that it was necessary to protect civilians from the RSF’s atrocities. They accused the RSF of committing war crimes and human rights violations against Darfur’s population.
Meanwhile, three other Darfur movements – the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), the Gathering of Sudan Liberation Forces (GSLF), and the Sudanese Alliance – have maintained their neutrality in the conflict and rejected the decision of the two groups.
The Revolutionary Democratic Current unequivocally condemned all war crimes and human rights violations committed during this war by warring parties, “including the crimes perpetrated by the RSF in West Darfur state, particularly in Ardamata”.
The statement further urged the establishment of an international commission to investigate these crimes across West Darfur and Sudan and bring the perpetrators to justice, ensuring accountability for the victims.
(ST)