Sudan military court hand death sentences on 18 Darfur stationed soldiers: report
January 16, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – A Sudanese military court sentenced 18 soldiers to death charging them with insubordination and mutiny, a newspaper reported this week.
The members of the Sudanese army belonged to different ranks, according to the pro-SPLM Ajras Al-Hurriya newspaper, refused to deploy from Al-Obayid city in Kordofan state to the town of Umbro in Northern Darfur and instead went to the Al-Fasher capital city in a convoy of 26 vehicles.
The report did not say what prompted this action from the soldiers. During the peak of the Darfur conflict in 2003-2004 there were numerous reports of mutiny among Darfuri pilots and soldiers in the army who refused to carry out orders of attack in the war ravaged region.
The defendants were found guilty of violating articles of the Armed Forces Act, including violation of instructions the commander in chief. Families of the convicted soldiers appealed to the Sudanese president and the minister of defense to overrule the sentence.
The court sentenced 17 others to imprisonment for a period ranging from five to six months while others have been acquitted. The attorneys told the newspaper they are planning an appeal.
A spokesperson for the Sudanese army declined to confirm or deny the report when reached by Ajras Al-Hurriya.
The army commander of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) Suleiman Sandal hailed the “bravery” of the soldiers.
“They have done the right thing and sided with the people, refusing to carry orders of the Bashir who is the commander in chief of the army” Sandal told Sudan Tribune by satellite phone from an undisclosed location
“Bashir is a war criminal indicted by an international court so complying with his orders is a violation of international law and humanitarian norms” he added.
Sandal called on the appeals court to bear in mind that what the convicted soldier “were in compliance with the law” and urged the defense lawyers to stress this in their filings.
(ST)
Garang Arok
Sudan military court hand death sentences on 18 Darfur stationed soldiers: report
Likewise Al Bashir’s death sentence pends at the Hague.
Time1
Sudan military court hand death sentences on 18 Darfur stationed soldiers: report
This is the democratic change that Omer bashir and his criminal NCP is going to bring, ore deaths and more genocide, whoever votes for Omer bashir has to know that death and alot of trouble ahead will come withe Omer bashr to power, this means more suffering for Sudanese ahead. It is better to vote for a moderate and more peaceful oriented leader like Yasser Arman, who will bring all Sudan under one umbrella, but voting for Omer bashir will only lead to disintegration of Sudan and more wars ahead.