Al-Bashir decrees his Wives and brothers to feed Darfur victims

By Abdullahi Osman El-Tom

March 21, 2009 — In a bizarre twist of events, Al-Bashir has once again confounded the Sudanese people with another of his numerous revelations bordering on lunacy. Following his decision to evict a dozen of the finest international NGOs (INGOs) from Darfur on March 10th 09, and emboldened by the pathetically slow international resolve against him, he proceeded to go for the kill. The President has decreed, that as of next year, no non-national NGO (NNGOs) will be allowed to operate in Sudan. Should they still be so desperate as to send more aid to Sudan, they can do so, but only by depositing aid at national airports to be collected and distributed by NNGOs.

The departure of INGOs leaves 4.7 million people without adequate coverage in Darfur. At the time of writing this article (March 18th), there are news reports of an outbreak of meningitis in Darfur Kalma camp. Other camps also report shortages of food, medicine, water and shelter. New arrivals at various camps in north Darfur are estimated to be at well over 30,000 victims, now sheltering in the open desert without food and other provisions. While this is a disaster for Darfur people and the international community endeavouring to respond to their needs, it is certainly not a cause of concern for Al-Bashir and his sympathisers. In short, his decision simply continues the same policy of annihilation of Darfur people. In a furtherance of the paradox, Ahmed Haroon has already indicated his preparation to implement this policy. For the benefit of those who are not well versed in Sudan’s politics, Haroon acts as State Minister for Humanitarian Affairs, despite the fact that he is under an ICC arrest warrant which Al-Bashir refuses to honour.

That Al-Bashir systematically fails to recognise the implication of his statements is understood, but that others in his government fail to do so, including the SPLM is perplexing. Many of these INGOs who will be banished in accordance with the decree also operate in many other areas outside Darfur; in the east, the Nuba Mountain, Blue Nile and deep in the beleaguered war-torn south of Sudan. To their credit, these INGOs have kept the destitute alive throughout the recent history of Sudan and particularly after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (2005). Their departure next year, should it materialise, means that many will either simply perish or survive under intense hardship. It is our intention that this will not be allowed to come to pass.

If Al-Bashir is consistent in anything, it is in his vulgar and insulting way of addressing the west which has so far kept substantial sectors of his population alive. “The USA, UK, and the west are under my shoes”, “the ICC and the UNSC can immerse their resolutions in water and drink them” and “Darfur will be a graveyard for crusaders (peacekeepers)”, are among the frequent vitriolic remarks that the Sudanese people have had to endure. In extolling the virtues of his NNGOs which are to replace the departing INGOS, Al-Bashir declares: “These national NGOs are committed to the nation, are not involved in espionage, do not preach for their faith and do not steal aid money”, 99% in his estimate. Flip the coin and work out what Al-Bashir has reserved for INGOs. Nothing could be as insulting for the many individual donors across the globe.

But the most deranged of Al-Bashir’s plans is yet to come. In his characteristic discriminatory way, not all ‘national’ NGOs are national and only a handful of them win the heart of the Sudanese dictator. Indeed two NNGOs were ordered to close as the INGOs were being evicted. According to reliable information, only six Sudanese NGOs are deemed worthy to replace the work of the evicted INGOs, while none of them would be allowed to operate in any self respecting country. It comes with little surprise to state that none of Al-Bashir’s handpicked NNGOs could match the high profile of expelled INGOs such as Oxfam GB, Medicine Without Frontiers, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children Fund, Solidarite, Care International, etc.

National NGOs poised to fill the void of the ousted INGOs include the Saudi financed Red Crescent, Martyr Al-Zibair, Umal-Fuqaraa, Sanad and Al-Miraag. Al-Zibair NGO is a government tool established to commemorate ex-Deputy President Al-Zibair’s jihad against the Christian South. Umal-Fuqaraa (literally, ‘mother of the poor’) and Sanad (literally, ‘support’) were formed by Al-Bashir’s senior wife Fatima and junior wife Widad, respectively. As for the last NGO, Miraag (‘ascension’), it belongs to Al-Bashir’s two brothers Mohamed Al-Hasan and Abdalla Al-Bashir. In a nutshell, Darfur victims are decreed to rely on the very family that orchestrated their displacement and destitution in the first place.

Author is Head of the Bureau for Training and Strategic Planning of JEM.
He can be reached at: [email protected]