Sudan president unapologetic about Darfur camp deadly attack

August 27, 2008 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir presided over a cabinet meeting today and listened to a briefing on Monday’s raid by soldiers and security officers on Kalma refugee camp in South Darfur that killed at least 30 people and injured many more.

Sudan official news agency (SUNA) quoted Al-Bashir during the meeting as stressing “the importance of disarming the refugee camps particularly the Kalama camp for its negative impact on civilians living there”.

The violent assault drew a strong condemnation from the United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

“UNAMID strongly condemns the excessive, disproportionate use of lethal force by the GoS security forces against civilians, which violated their human rights and resulted in unacceptable casualties” the mission said in an unusually harsh statement yesterday.

A number of officials in the regional government of South Darfur handed down their resignations this week in a sign of protest.

Also Al-Bashir’s senior presidential assistant Minni Arcua Minnawi and foreign minister Deng Alor criticized the Kalma camp incident.

“I strongly condemn this act of violence. This is a big and serious violation of international laws and peace agreements signed” Minnawi told Sudan Tribune by satellite phone from North Darfur.

The former rebel leader also warned of further escalation in violence as a result of the violent incident.

“The situation may well develop into another war. The silence of the international community is a negative signal” he said.

Alor spoke to reporters after his first meeting with Joint United Nations and African Union mediator for Darfur, Djibril Bassole.

“The Kalma camp events will drown the country into unnecessary problems” Alor was quoted by the daily independent Al-Ahdath reporter.

The news piece that contained Alor’s statements was not cleared for publication by Sudanese security.

“We are in no need of new accusations by the international community at this time and we are not in a position to enter into internal problems more than what we already have” the Sudanese foreign minister said.

“We need a consensus to solve our problems” he added.

The pro-government Sudanese Media Center (SMC) reported that the acting governor of South Darfur Farah Mustafa issued a decree establishing a commission of inquiry into Monday’s events.

The governor of South Darfur Ali Mahmood told SMC that rebel groups belonging to Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) led by Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Al-Nur, are hiding weapons in the Kalma camp.

The Sudanese authorities justified the raid by claiming to have received reliable intel about weapons smuggled recently into Kalma camp which is at a strategic position because of its proximity to the Nyala airport and railways.

Monday’s attack comes more than a month after the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo announced in mid-July that he requested an arrest warrant for Al-Bashir.

Ocampo filed 10 charges: three counts of genocide, five of crimes against humanity and two of murder and accused Al-Bashir of masterminding a campaign to get rid of the African tribes in Darfur; Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa.

Most of the Kalma camp residents are from the Fur tribe.

UN experts estimate some 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million driven from their homes. Sudan blames the Western media for exaggerating the conflict and puts the death toll at 10,000.

(ST)