Under international pressure, Sudan vows to act against Darfur Arab militias
KHARTOUM, June 19 (AFP) — Faced with the threat of international sanctions, Sudan vowed to rein in pro-government militias in the conflict-ridden region of Darfur and stop fighting from spilling over into neighbouring Chad.
Violent clashes on the Chad-Sudan border between Arab militiamen allied to Khartoum and N’Djamena have revived long-harboured fears that the 16-month conflict in Sudan’s western Darfur region could spread into Chad.
A Chad military official said Thursday that pro-Khartoum Janjawid militiamen, blamed for the bulk of the atrocities in Darfur, fought Chadian troops 10 kilometers (six miles) inside Chad.
The official, who requested anonymity, said 69 Janjawid militiamen — the name means “guns on horseback’ — were killed and two taken prisoner in the fighting. He did not give figures for any losses among Chadian troops.
Arab militias and government troops have been blamed for a wave of killings of indigenous minority groups in Darfur since rebels rose up in February 2003, accusing Khartoum of discrimination and neglect.
Clashes between the Sudanese army and the two rebel groups — the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Movement for Justice and Equality — have killed at least 10,000 people and forced more than a million from their homes, according to UN estimates.
But on Saturday, President Omar al-Beshir reiterated his commitment to a Chad-brokered ceasefire deal with the rebels.
“We renew once again our commitment to what we agreed in Ndjamena and underline that the security of sister Chad is an indivisible part of Sudanese security. Therefore, we will not allow anybody to disturb stability in Chad from Sudanese territory,” said a statement broadcast on state radio.
He ordered the government to reinforce security and clamp down on law-breaking rebels, the Janjawid militias and other armed groups, disarming them and taking them to court.
The statement, which was also published in several newspapers, came 24 hours after a spokesman for the US State Department said it was considering imposing sanctions on Sudanese officials blamed for the crisis in Darfur.
On Monday, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan warned the humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region required immediate attention.
“The world must insist that the Sudanese authorities neutralize and disarm the militia, who continue to terrorize the population. They must also allow humanitarian supplies,” he said.
Khartoum has said that Annan will pay a visit to Sudan in the coming days to see the situation in Darfur first hand.
On the radio, Beshir ordered state institutions to strengthen security and stability along the Chad-Sudan border.
Police were to provide protection and secure the return of people to their villages, while authorities in Darfur were told to set up prosecution offices and courts to try bandits and other criminals “without delay”.
The European Union also called on Khartoum Friday to disarm the militias and open up Darfur to relief workers.
The Sudanese government stands accused by aid agencies of colluding in a reign of terror by militiamen drawn largely from traditionally nomadic Arab tribes who have long had strained relations with the settled minorities.
“What happened in Darfur is bloody serious for the whole Sudanese people, not just the population of Darfur,” Beshir conceded Friday.