Sudan accuses Bush of exploiting Darfur crisis for election campaign

CAIRO, July 25, 2004 (dpa) — Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Othman Ismail criticized U.S. President George W. Bush of trying to exploit the crisis in Darfur to win black voters for his re-election.

There was no other explanation why the Bush administration had suddenly stepped up its criticism against the Sudanese government over the crisis, the minister said in an interview published Sunday in the London-based al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper.

“The only explanation to this escalation is that it has become part of the American election campaign to attract black voters,” he said.

He said he was astonished about the U.S. attack against Sudan especially as Khartoum had already agreed cooperation with the international community.

“We are wondering why this explosion, this earthquake, this escalation of attack in an issue that can be solved internally, particularly given that the Sudanese government did not reject cooperation with the international community,” Ismail said.

On Thursday, the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate and House of Representatives voted unanimously for resolutions urging U.S. leaders and the international community to begin “calling the atrocities being committed in Darfur by their rightful name: genocide”.

Sudanese authorities Saturday rejected the claims, saying they were biased, unfair and far from the truth.

Regarding accusations that the Sudanese government was providing weapons to the government-linked Janjaweed Arab militias, Ismail said: “If the government, as they claim, is arming the Janjaweed. Who is arming the rebels?”

Government-linked Janjaweed Arab militia are fighting against black African tribes in Darfur in western Sudan.

By widespread estimates, 30,000 Darfur civilians have been killed, more than 130,000 refugees have sought sanctuary in neighbouring Chad, and more than 1 million Darfur people fleeing the violence are displaced within Sudan.