Darfur JEM says committed to supporting and protecting humanitarian work

October 2, 2009 (LONDON) – The Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) vowed to protect and facilitate the humanitarian work in Sudan’s western region.

At a workshop in Kenya’s capital hosted by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue based in Geneva, a number of humanitarian groups including UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UNICEF and UNHCR the discussions focused on the security of aid workers amid growing attacks.

JEM spokesperson Ahmed Hussein told Sudan Tribune that his movement’s internal rules on upholding international humanitarian law “remain in full force”.

“We held several workshops for our military commanders on international humanitarian law. We take this very seriously” he said.

Hussein said that JEM will devise a mechanism in coordination with Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue to dealing with and preventing carjacking incidents as well as abductions.

“We [JEM] will deal firmly with any such incidents and go after the perpetrators. We owe to the aid workers who are helping our people survive” Hussein said.

The attacks on humanitarian groups have been on the rise in Darfur ever since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.

Sudan expelled 13 foreign aid groups earlier this year, accusing them of helping the ICC

Last July unidentified armed men kidnapped two female aid workers, one Irish and one Ugandan. They are still in their custody despite efforts to secure their release.

Hussein accused government militias of standing behind the incident.

“This is a pattern of intimidation by Khartoum against aid groups as well as IDP’s in the camps trying to force them into returning. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of the two workers” he said.

The JEM official disclosed that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UNAMID on facilitating the work of aid groups.

The JEM liaison for humanitarian issues is Suleiman Jamous, he said.

The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue said in a statement that JEM will provide them “with concrete proposal for them to facilitate training with the diaspora on humanitarian principles”.

(ST)