Sudan’s NCP seeks to pacify Janjaweed leader

January 12, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese presidential assistant Ibrahim Ghandour met on Monday with the leader of the Darfurian Arab Mahameed clan Musa Hilal in West Darfur state capital of El-Geneina.

The participants of the meeting that was held under tight wraps, did not release any detailed statement afterwards except for brief remarks by Hilal in which he said that they discussed a number of issues that will be produce results for the “goodness and blessing in the future at the at level of Sudan and Darfur in particular”.

Ghandour on his end announced that he reached common points of agreement with Hilal that will benefit the country and the region. He said that Hilal expressed his appreciation to president Omer Hassan al-Bashir and the NCP while denying reports about his imminent rebellion.

Hilal, who was one of the main militia leaders that participated in the brutal counterinsurgency campaign during the first years of Darfur crisis, turned recently his militiamen against the governor of North Darfur state, Osman Kibir and accused him of feeding tribal conflicts in the state.

The famous Janjaweed leader recently started making statements critical of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), of which he is a member, and calling for deep reforms.

He left the capital Khartoum over a year ago and retreated to his hometown of Mostraeeha in North Darfur along with his troops and continued blasting the government and the NCP.

The NCP has not taken any action against Hilal and has allowed him to keep his posts including the adviser in the Ministry of Local Government and his parliamentary seat. .

But his name has not appeared on the list of NCP parliamentary candidates which was previously attributed by Ghandour to the fact that he was not picked by party’s electoral college.

Hilal has recently announced his intention to resign from the ministerial post and formed the “Council of Awakening” through which he said he would work to find a solution to all the issues of Sudan.

The tribal chief stands accused by many human rights groups of leading a terror campaign against the African tribes Sudan’s western region of Darfur.

But he has denied any wrongdoing and told Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a videotaped interview in 2005, that he only recruited militias on behalf of Sudan’s central government.

(ST)