Sudan interior minister says extremist groups recruit in Darfur
July 14, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese Interior Ministry revealed Wednesday that radical groups have been working to recruit citizens in some Darfur states.
Sudanese Interior Minister Ismat Abdel Rahman Zein al-Abdin belittled the possible spread of radical groups in the country, stressing that his government is taking control the necessary measures to curb their activities.
Last March, the Sudan Liberation Movement-Minawi faction said it has detected the presence of “jihadist elements” composed of 700 persons who reached the region from Libya and Mali particularly in the northern parts of Darfur.
Native Administration Member in Al-Malha area of North Darfur state, Ali Osman earlier, told Sudan Tribune that the authorities moved some groups from the area after protests from its residents.
“Some (radical) groups have been observed trying to recruit among the population in Darfur but the Sudanese police are doing their best to control them,” said the minister on Wednesday during a press conference, as he was responding to a question on the presence of extremist movements in the country.
However, he did not elaborate on the identity of these radical groups, but he pointed that they use mosques as a platform to attract people.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Also, the interior minister has complained from the growing presence of foreigners in Sudan, saying their control “requires huge efforts and lots of money”.
He further accused some diplomatic missions in Khartoum of dodging responsibilities for their nationals residing illegally in Sudan.
Sudan hosts a significant number of migrants and refugees mostly from Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Syria.
During a workshop on the control of foreign presence and human trafficking in Khartoum last November, an official from the interior ministry said that the number of Ethiopian migrants has reached two million, while the number of Eritreans is, approximately, 200.000.
Minister Zein al-Abdin pointed that the police is facing difficulties to register the foreigners stressing they seek often to evade the registration process and the payment of residence permit fees.
He said that such situation forces his ministry to decide deporting the illegal immigrants. However, that the embassies here also do not cooperate with the Sudanese authorities when it comes to issue travel permits or to pay the travel cost .
“Thus, the authorities take them to prison, where they cost the government huge amount of money”, he said.
(ST)