Sudan hands over two rebels to Chad – Timan Erdimi
May 24, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese government handed two leading members of the Chadian armed opposition to Ndjamena two days before a tripartite summit in Khartoum gathering President Idriss Deby and Central African President François Bozizé with President Omer Al-Bashir.
Before a visit to participate in a regional summit in Chad, Bashir expelled three senior Chadian rebel leaders including Timan Erdimi, Mahamat Nouri and Adouma Hassaballa. Deby had already in May 2010 barred the return of the rebel leader Khalil Ibrahim to Ndjamena.
In October 2010 Sudanese security service organized several flights to transport Chadian rebels who accept to return voluntarily to Ndjamena. Also those who preferred to stay in Sudan had to register at the security services providing their addresses and phone numbers.
“The Sudanese government is currently conducting a raid to arrest political and military leaders of the Union of Resistance Forces (UFR) who are in Sudan” before a visit of President Deby to Khartoum, said the leader of the rebel coalition Timan Erdimi.
Timan told Sudan Tribune that Sudanese security services since 21 May arrested several members of the rebel movement including two UFR leading figures, Adoum Erdimi, who resides in Khartoum and the deputy chief of Staff, Colonel Daoud Ali Bouyeneou, who is based in El-Fasher, capital of North Darfur state.
He further accused Khartoum of handing over the arrested rebels to Ndjamena where they are subjected to torture and cruel treatment.
“Information at our disposal suggests that they were transferred to N’Djamena, and they suffered inhuman and despicable body treatments.”
The rebel leader who is based in a Gulf country since his forced departure called upon human rights groups to campaign for their release saying that their lives are at risk.
He expressed fears that Khartoum might continue to hand over the remaining Chadian rebels to Ndjamena adding that Sudanese authorities obstruct their efforts to obtain the status of refugees from the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Sudan.
The tripartite summit held on Monday 23 agreed to establish a consultative mechanism of the three countries to deal with security issues, enhance the peaceful co-existence among joint tribes and encourage voluntary return of refugees.
(ST)
Ito
Sudan hands over two rebels to Chad – Timan Erdimi
Readers,
This handing over of Chadian armed oppostion to Ndjamena by the Sudanese government under the leadership of NCP Party is a clear indication that the government of Al Bashir can never be trusted. Why not used another tactic that would secure the safety of the rebels instead of throwing them into the hole of fire as they (rebels) came there without prior political and military agreement with the NCP government.
You people of Darfur, Angassana, Nuba mountains and Eastern Sudan together with my people of south sudan should beware of this kind of silence-killing strategy invented by the Bashir government. They can abrogate any agreement so long as it does not work in their interest.
thanks
Paul Ongee
Sudan hands over two rebels to Chad – Timan Erdimi
What Khartoum did is a gross violation of human rights. There is no guarantee for the safety of these members of the UFR. The participation of the Chadian President in the tripartite security summit last Monday was based on the agreement of handing over of the leading members of the UFR.
Although Khartoum appears to be playing the leading role in organizing a security summit that will soon involve CAR to try to stabilize border security of the three countries, I don’t think it will work out without considering or involving the nascent neighbor, South Sudan. If Khartoum believes that it’s easy to put off indefinitely North-South border demarcation and its security arrangement meeting, what would make the border security of the tripartite states successful? The political structure of individual country is fundamentally different.
It’s just a give-and-take security arrangement designed mainly by Khartoum to avert getting overthrown by the opposition parties in individual countries, coupled with the upcoming revolutionary fever plaguing Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
On the other hand Khartoum wants to not only to export Islamization policy to CAR and terrorist activity by offering Port Sudan to be used by CAR for export and import activity. Since South Sudan is not and will not probably be part of the border security arrangements because of separation and loss of over 70% of oil revenue, Khartoum wants not only to increase sources of revenue but to provide logistical support to strengthen LRA’s base in CAR to destabilize South Sudan and get, if possible, all members of Darfur rebel groups arrested in those countries and sent to stand trial. Omer Hassan Al-Bashir acts as a president and a judge at the same time who committed war crime but does not want to turn himself in to ICC.
And if South Sudan picks up CAR for similar security arrangements in the future given the present and future political climate, how will Khartoum feel about it? This security arrangement will not succeed since political problems of different dimensions exist in individual country and can any time lead to urgently change dictatorial or criminal regime. The implementation of funding the proposed joint security operation on the four-month rotational basis is not likely.
This will be an additional budget for defense although the governor of CBS keeps reminding the government and general public that the post-independent financial crisis is real. The expected output from the new alleged oil fields in the North and the revenue from gold export and agricultural products are not likely to make any difference either.
In addition Khartoum should bear in mind that the resolution to Darfur conflict is still far from horizon so long as political rights of Darfur rebel movements are not recognized and implemented in any already signed agreements or the future ones.
So, handing over members of UFR to Chadian government without guaranteeing their safety is a violation of human rights. The question is, will they not be considered outlaws by Ndjamena as Khartoum often alluded to Darfur rebel groups? What will be the fate of Darfur rebel members if they are arrested by Ndjamena, Tripoli or Bangui and handed over the same way Khartoum did?
Paul Ongee
Khartoum Watch