Sudanese Protest Against Foreign Intervention
KHARTOUM, Aug 4 (AP) — More than 100,000 people marched through this city Wednesday in a state-orchestrated rally against the U.N. Security Council resolution that gives Sudan 30 days to stop the violence of Arab militia in Darfur province.
“No! to America and its followers,” chanted the protesters, who were led by the secretary general of the ruling National Congress party, Ibrahim Ahmed Omar.
They presented a memorandum to the U.N. envoy in Sudan which said U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan should apologize for “misleading” people about the situation in Darfur, which the world body has described as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
“You, as the secretary general of the United Nations, hold all the responsibility for escalating the crisis in Darfur as your remarks formed the basis of the misleading, antagonistic Western propaganda against Sudan ,” the memorandum said in Arabic.
Annan, who visited Darfur last month, issued a statement July 29 that accused “government security personnel” of threatening displaced people and expressed grave concern about “reports of continuing intimidation, threats and attacks against refugees.”
Wednesday’s memorandum accused Annan of collaborating with the U.S. and Israel in “expressing enmity to Sudan .” It was signed by the Popular Association in Defense of Conviction and the Nation.
A senior member of the ruling party, Mohammed Ali Abdullah, told the crowd that their protest was a warning to US President George W. Bush and U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair against invading Sudan .
“Targeting Sudan means you will fall into a third swamp – after Afghanistan and Iraq. There are lions here in Sudan which would like to confront the Americans,” Abdullah said.
While no Western government has threatened to invade Sudan , such intervention has been discussed since it became clear the Khartoum government was failing to curb the alleged perpetrators of most of the violence in Darfur. France has deployed a small force along Chad’s border with Darfur to stop Arab militia from crossing over.
After delivering the statement to U.N. envoy Jan Pronk, the demonstrators walked to the presidential palace in Shuhada Square.
In a resolution passed Friday, the Security Council said Sudan had 30 days to disarm the Arab militia, who have been blamed for the deaths of thousands of people. If the militia are not disarmed, the council could impose a range of diplomatic and economic penalties.
The U.N. and international aid organizations have accused the pro-government Arab militia, known as Janjaweed, of waging a brutal campaign to drive Sudanese citizens of African origin out of Darfur. An estimated 30,000 people have been killed in the 17-month conflict; a million people have been forced to flee their homes; and an estimated 2.2 million people are in urgent need of food, medicine and other basics.