UNAMID Agwai turns a blind Eye to Darfur atrocities

By Mahmoud A. Suleiman

August 30, 2009 — Mass media reported that the Nigerian officer, General Martin Luther Agwai, Commander of the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID, who is replaced by Rwandan Patrick Nyamvumba, has been awarded by the ICC indicted fugitive Sudanese President Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir, the Nilein Order (first class) in recognition of his efforts in Darfur peacekeeping mission. Mr. Agwai has been quoted as saying that the six-year armed conflict in Darfur has turned into “very low intensity” clashes and banditry! Furthermore, Mr. Agwai has said “then there is no war as of now in Darfur.”

It seems that the Nigerian General does not know or would not pay attention to the feelings of the people of Sudan in Darfur, the residents of the IDP camps that the (UNAMID) mission has let them down by abandonment and failure to provide security to protect them. Rebel groups, including Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) indicated that the leader of the (UNAMID) peacekeeping force, General Agwai, seems to be seeking to continue to provide cover for the National Congress Party (NCP) campaign of genocide in Darfur and an umbrella for the aggressor to continue the attacks.

Political analysts believe that the unbalanced statements made by Mr. Agwai could not be reasoned out other than a one way or another to please and gain the confidence of the Government of Sudan (GoS) which granted him the First Class Nilein Order (Arabic: Medal of the Two Niles).

Mr. Agwai also provided valuable security information useful to the Khartoum military junta regime through his unbalanced irresponsible remarks by saying that heavy fighting of the earlier years of the conflict has retreated where rebel groups have splintered into rival factions. He added (due to the fragmentation of rebel groups I do not see the possibility of any important group that could launch an attack on ground other than the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) which launched an unprecedented attack on Khartoum last year.)

The outgoing (UNAMID) chief General Agwai has been reported as saying that Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) still has the ability to infiltrate in small groups but it hasn’t got sufficient manpower to hold on its liberated territories on the ground. General Agwai went on in his inflammatory remarks saying: “fighting to secure the land, dominate upon it and go ahead to say this is our land, is over”. The General inadvertently or unwittingly contradicted his statements and said that there is still a possibility of the outbreak of full-blown fighting again! Observers say that, in the latter, the General had told the truth through a slip of the tongue unintentionally! As expected, the spokesman for the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in Darfur, Ahmed Hussein Adam, strongly condemned the remarks made by General Martin Luther Agwai and considered them as misleading and that the purpose and objectives of those statements need Mr. Agwai to reveal who is behind those declarations!

General Martin Luther Agwai, Head of Mission of the Organization of the United Nations and African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, seemed to have forgotten the neutral stance imposed by the international position he held when he announced his statements which were fully aligned and biased to the Government of Sudan but very harmful to the people of Sudan in the Darfur.

The actions and statements of General Agwai show, unfortunately, lack of credibility of many of those from the African continent who worked in Darfur, during the plight of its people, in their various capacities; including the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson, H.E. Jean Ping who made similar statements when he was in the hospitality of the odious regime in Khartoum.

The Nigerian general is leaving Darfur for good and no one would shed tears or regrets; however, the people of Sudan in Darfur, hoping that his successor, General Patrick Nyamvumba, from Rwanda, which experienced genocide in the year one thousand nine hundred ninety-four to be up to the expectations of the people of Sudan in Darfur who has endured similar atrocities at the hands of the current Sudan government, six years on. One is full of hope that he would be from a different breed.

Mahmoud A. Suleiman is the Deputy Chairman of the General Congress for Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). He can be reached at [email protected]