Israel denies Sudan’s accusation of supporting Darfur rebels
JERUSALEM, Aug 8, 2004 (Jerusalem Post) — Government officials said that Israel does not feel a need to respond to the “crazy accusation” made by the Sudanese government regarding Israel’s involvement in the crisis in Sudan.
The Sudanese government Sunday accused Israel of supporting rebels in the troubled Darfur region in western Sudan.
Sudan’s Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail told reporters in Cairo his government had “information that confirms media reports of Israeli support.” Ismail, who is taking part in an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers to discuss the Darfur crisis, said he was “sure the next few days will reveal a lot of Israeli contacts with the rebels,” the Washington Times reported.
Jerusalem sees this as just another attempt to divert attention and blame Israel for something it has nothing to do with, Israeli officials said.
The foreign ministry had no response to the Sudanese accusation.
Ismail pointed out that the Israeli ambassador to the UN Dan Gillerman had “started his talk about the Israeli barrier (at the UN) by speaking on Darfur and what the Arabs are doing there, as well as moving the Jewish communities to spread what is being said about Darfur.”
The Sudanese minister insisted Israel had “recently become active in entering the Darfur issue from different sides, whether through its active presence in (neighboring) Eritrea, or through its active diplomatic missions.”
Fighting in Darfur and raids by Arab militias known as Janjaweed have killed at least 30,000 black Africans and displaced more than 1 million others, precipitating a humanitarian crisis the United Nations has called the world’s worst.
The UN said in a report released in Geneva on Friday that it had “overwhelming evidence” that the Sudanese Government had worked with militias in the campaign of murder and rape the US Congress called genocide last month.
“It is beyond doubt that the Government of Sudan is responsible for extrajudicial and summary executions of large numbers of people over the last several months in the Darfur region”, Reuters quoted UN human rights investigator, Asma Jahangir, as saying.
The UN Security Council had given Sudan 30 days to disarm and apprehend militia members or face sanctions or other punitive measures.