Former Darfur rebel group urges UK to hand over rebel figures
May 12, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – The former rebel Justice and Equality Movement faction led by Bakheit Abdallah Dabago (JEM-Dabago) has appealed to the United Kingdom to extradite several rebel figures residing in London.
Nahar Osman Nahar, political secretary of JEM-Dabago said in press statements following the protest that large numbers of the mainstream JEM led by Gibril Ibrahim are living in the UK, demanding that the latter expel them from its territory.
He pointed that the protest coincides with the second anniversary of the killing of the movement’s leader Mohamed Bashar and taking at least 17 of its executive leaders hostages by the mainstream JEM.
Nahar accused western countries including the UK, United States and France of harbouring those rebel figures whom he described as “terrorists”, saying they enjoy legal residency in these countries which contradicts the latter’s claims of protecting freedoms and democracy.
The political secretary further said they intend to exercise more pressure on western countries to hand over rebel figures in prelude to put them to trial, adding that they would also press for the release of their leaders detained by the mainstream JEM.
In April 2013, JEM-Bashar, a breakaway group from JEM, inked a peace agreement negotiated with the Sudanese government on the basis of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD).
Following the peace deal, JEM killed the leader of JEM-Bashar, Mohamed Bashar, and his deputy Suleiman Arko, and detained more than 20 others in an attack near the Chadian border as they were returning to Khartoum.
The movement then chose Bakheit Abdul-Karim Dabago as its new chief after which it signed political and security understandings with the government and the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) which guaranteed the group a share in the government.
Last week Chadian authorities handed over several rebel figures suspected of involvement in the killing of Bashar.
(ST)