Sudanese president stresses need to establish security in Darfur
September 19, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir has reaffirmed today the crucial need to establish security and stability in Darfur as part of government strategy to bring peace to the restive region where the government fights rebel groups since seven years.
The Sudanese President made his remarks during a meeting he chaired on Sunday to discuss the implementation of a new strategy to end war in Darfur three days after its adoption by the Sudanese cabinet last Thursday.
The meeting was attended by the ministers of defense, interior, justice, finance and humanitarian affairs as well as the governor of the three states of Darfur region.
Al-Bashir emphasized that the state has a pivotal role in the establishment of security and to protect civilians in Darfur camps and villages for those who return voluntarily. He further underlined the need to achieve justice and prosecute perpetrators of crimes without favoritism and discrimination.
The statements come after a first visit of its kind by a Sudanese official to the victims of an attack carried out by the Janjaweed militias in Darfur. Ghazi Salah Eddin during a visit to Tawilla camp on Friday 17 September met with the survivors of an attack on the market of Tabra, in North Darfur state by pro-government militiamen who killed over 50 people on 2 September.
Ghazi told the relatives of victims that this attack represents the “beginning of the end”.
Following the meeting Ghazi, who is in charge of Darfur file, told reporters that the whole strategy aims at preventing all types of crimes and violence and to protect civilians, particularly the internally displaced persons.
He also stressed that government strategy for peace in Darfur in its five axes is implemented in total coordination between the central and states authorities and in partnership with “the friendly international community”.
The five key axes of the new strategy endorsed this week are: security, development, return of IDPs to their villages, reconciliation and negotiations with rebel groups in Doha.
Abel Rahim Mohamed Hussein, minister of defense, said the security strategy identified the tasks of federal and state agencies in Darfur alongside the role of other actors in the region. He also stressed this plan was prepared by ministries of defense, interior, and security service besides the three states of Darfur.
While the interior minister Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid disclosed that the number of police forces reached 40 thousand officers in 2010 adding it was only six thousand when the conflict started in 2003.
UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict. The International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted a Sudanese minister and a militia leader of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The war crimes court also issued an arrest warrant against President Al-Bashir who is further charged with genocide.
The minister of Justice Mohamed Dossa said his ministry is keen to punish culprits adding “there is no one is above the law”. He did not elaborate whether his ministry intends to foster the existing legislations to allow the prosecution of specific crimes in Darfur.
(ST)
Ahmed Chol
Sudanese president stresses need to establish security in Darfur
Bashir wants to sign a hasty peace in Darfur so that he could withdraw his force and bring them to fight in the South when Separation becomes the result of the referendum and especially along the border. Bashir, you have to think critically otherwise you will be fighting a multifront war in the west, east and south. We would like to live in a united Sudan. But a Sudan that is engulfed by hatred, marginalization and Islamic sharia that is imposed on the indigenous poor people will be a nightmare for us.
Ahmed Chol, the future commander of Anya-nya III
paul baak anyaar
Sudanese president stresses need to establish security in Darfur
Bashir should know that we are tired of his fairy- tales. Bringing peace and establishing security in Darfur should not be given lip-service. We want peace in Darfur.
telfajbago
Sudanese president stresses need to establish security in Darfur
I have stated several times that, nominal peace and security of the genocidaire Al-Bashir is force the return of the IDPs to the areas where regimes militias are re-armed and re-grouped to finish genocide survivors. The fact that; the Islamic jihadist Al-Atubani prescribing Tabara massacre as the beginning of the end its clear that the end of Ghazi to the conflict in Darfur is to complete their last part of genocide in Darfur quickly in order to prepare themselves for the mass-scale war in the South after the referendum of South Sudan in 2011.