Security situation in Darfur “dangerous”, Sudanese lawmakers say
April 8, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Minister of Interior Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamed, declared that attacks by rebel movements in Darfur totaled 126 incidents during the past six months compared to 43 last year.
He noted that rebel movements recent attacks in the Muhajiriya and Labado in South Darfur which he said occurred after they failed to attack Golo in central Darfur.
The minister further said that state of South Darfur had the worst insecurity record with 85 incidents between October 2012 and March 2013 while the state of North Darfur recorded 29 incidents.
Hamed defended the performance of police forces in Darfur, saying that rebellion in the past managed to threaten the capital of North Darfur but is now it is only confined to remote areas.
In unusual statements Hamid, who addressed members of parliament yesterday, said that killing have become commonplace in Darfur and “human blood has become cheap,” referring to the spread of weapons along with tribal conflicts, which he described as worrying, saying it left around 987 people dead in the region over the past year.
The members of parliament on their end criticized authorities for the deteriorating security situation in Darfur and their belated intervention in the tribal clashes which took place in Jabal Amer and resulted in the killing of hundreds of innocent people.
Last January, violent inter-tribal clashes between members of the rival Arab Northern Reizegat (Aballa) and Beni Hussein tribes in Jabal Amer area, fighting for control of the region’s gold mines has sparked a humanitarian crisis, displacing about 100,000 people, according to the Sudanese government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC).
MP Babiker Mohamed Zain, called upon security authorities to use the necessary measures to recapture Labado and Muhajiriya, adding that police and military forces in the two areas didn’t get the necessary backup until Saturday when rebels managed to overran them.
According to news reports, Sudan’s Armed forces (SAF) and the rebel force of Sudan Liberation Army loyal to leader Minni Minnawi (SLA-MM) clashed on Saturday in the towns of Muhajiriya and Labado in South Darfur leading to scores of deaths from both sides.
Eyewitnesses said that SLA-MM launched two simultaneous attacks on the two areas on Saturday morning killing and wounding dozens as well as holding a large number of SAF soldiers captives.
The leader of the opposition bloc in parliament, Ismail Hussein harshly criticized statement of the Minister of Interior, saying that the official used “misleading terms” suggesting that the situation in Darfur is stable, describing the security situation as “a sick person lying in resuscitation room while doctors outside reassuring that his health is perfect”.
Hussein described the situation in Darfur as “dangerous” saying that robbery and looting occurs inside major cities, and authorities are unable to stop it.
South Darfur has been the scene of heavy fighting between the SAF and SLA-MM forces in recent weeks, with both sides battling to gain control of the state.
Darfur has been a flashpoint for lawlessness and violence since rebel movements took up arms against the Khartoum government in 2003.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the conflict in Sudan’s troubled western region, where ongoing violence continues to take a terrible human toll.
The United Nations has estimated that around 300,000 people have died during the conflict in Darfur, while some 2 million people have been displaced. Khartoum puts the death toll at 10,000.
(ST)