JEM’s chief of staff denies defection

March 20, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)’s chief of staff, Tijani al-Dhaib, Monday denied his defection and reiterated his support to the Movement’s leader Jibril Ibrahim.

In a statement released Monday, a group of JEM officers announced their defection from the historical JEM and joined the splinter faction New Justice and Equality Movement (New JEM) led by Mansour Arbab Younis.

The statement allegedly was signed by the 13 officers on the top of them al-Dhaib.

“A malicious party that was not happy with the release of our captive heroes from the jails of the regime has issued this poor and lying statement (…) in order to spoil the joy of the Movement, the families, and the Sudanese people,” he said.

He further said that the officers whose names appeared in the statement had nothing to do with this false statement and had not heard about it because they are in locations outside the communications networks.

It is noteworthy that a group led by Arbab and Houzaiffa Mahi-Eldin Mohamed in May 2015 issued a communiqué dismissing Ibrahim from the chairmanship of the JEM. They accused him of running the rebel group in a despotic manner; besides nepotism and tribalism.

They later formed the New JEM and participated in the government-led national dialogue conference in Khartoum before to denounce the bad treatment received in Khartoum and leave the country.

The alleged statement of defection includes Tigani al-Dhaib, Major General Mohammed Ishaq Adam, Brig. Abdel-Rahman, Col. Al-Sadiq Hamdan, Col. Ibrahim Toga, Col. Mohamed Daffaallah, Lt. Col. Adam Gumaa, Lieu. Col. Yahia Stu, Major Arbab Abdalla, Major Idriss Ali Gumaa, Major Osman Shofo and Major Abdallah Yahia.

(ST)