Sudan’s Darfuri VP sworn-in as rebels differ in reaction
September 14, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Rebel groups from Sudan’s western region of Darfur have varied in reaction to the appointment of al-Haj Adam Yousef as Vice-President of the Republic. The later took oath on Wednesday and called for renunciation of armed struggle.
The Sudanese president also named Yousef, a Darfurian member of his ruling National Congress Party (NCP), as a vice-president.
Yousef hails from the Beni Helbah tribe of South Darfur and held several high-profile positions in the past, including the governor of South Darfur State, prior to the 1999’s schism within the NCP which saw the veteran Islamist leader Hassan Al-Turabi ousted from power and later formed his splinter group the Popular Congress Party (PCP).
He sided with al-Turabi and became a leading member of the PCP. Also he ran on the PCP’s ticket as a candidate in the gubernatorial elections in South Darfur State during April’s 2010 general election but he lost to the NCP’s candidate Musa Kasha. The latter was one of those convinced him to return to the NCP some months after.
Yousef who was sworn in as a vice-president on Wednesday called on the holders of arms to renounce them and return to participate in running the country’s affairs.
He also called on Sudanese political forces to unite on the platform of what he termed as “the national programs” and a political system whereby everyone cooperate for the country’s best interests rather than differences.
Yousef denied his awareness that the former Darfur rebel group, Justice and Liberation Movement (LJM), which signed a peace deal with the government in June, had demanded that the position of vice-president be given to someone from Darfur.
He said there was no disagreement between the government and LJM on the allocation of positions.
The Sudanese government refused a demand by rebel groups to allocate the position of a vice-president to Darfur region saying the president has a discretionary power to appoint his deputies. Khartoum also said a Darfurian can be president so why to give the region this post.
However the government admitted to appoint a vice president from Darfur during the current presidential term of office. It was also specified that he will be from the ruling party and no rebel group will get it.
Meanwhile, the Darfur rebels Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) led by Khalil Ibrahim has shrugged off Yousef’s appointment as inconsequential.
“His appointment doesn’t mean anything to the marginalized people in Darfur” Al-Tahir Al-Fakki, chairman of JEM’s legislative council, told Bloomberg on Wednesday. “He’s an Arab Islamist, part of the governing party and the Arabization of Darfur.”
JEM initially participated in Darfur peace talks but it later walked out and refused to sign the Doha agreement, other rebel factions of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) boycotted the talks all together.
Conversely, the former rebels LJM welcomed Yousef’s appointment as “positive.” LJM’s spokesman Ali Fadul Abbas said that this decision was the first step in the implementation of the Doha agreement which stipulated the appointment of a vice-president from Darfur.
“We welcome this step and consider it as a positive development,” he added.
The conflict in Sudan’s western region of Darfur erupted in February 2003 after rebel groups took up arms against the government, accusing it of marginalizing the region.
Darfur war has claimed the lives of 300,000 people and displaced more than 2.7 million, according to UN figures.
(ST)