Several JEM commanders defect to Sudan: spokesperson
April 14, 2018 (KHARTOUM) – The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) led by Gibril Ibrahim on Saturday announced that a number of its commanders have defected to the Sudanese government describing the move as “deplorable behaviour”.
In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune, JEM spokesperson Gibril Adam Bilal said a group of JEM commanders including Hussein Abdel-Rahman Arkory (aka Abu Garja), Muhamadein Sulieman, Ibrahim Hashim Bashar (aka Garsil), Mohamed Musa (aka Miringa) and Abdel-Azim Abakar Ibrahim (aka Bob) was on an administrative mission.
“However, they broke the oath of allegiance to the revolution, betrayed the trust and dragged the officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers and handed them over to the security services of the regime,” read the statement
Bilal stressed the various sectors of the Movement’s army are well and strong, vowing to continue the revolution “until victory is achieved, whatever the cost”.
He warned the regime “that the revolution is alive and will remain as long as the reasons that caused its eruption is still there”.
The Sudanese government and JEM and Sudan Liberation Movement Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) will meet in Berlin on 16 and 17 April to negotiate a pre-negotiation agreement.
If the parties strike a deal, it would pave the way for talks on a cessation of hostilities and then they will join the negotiations table to discuss political issues in Doha
The Sudanese army has been fighting a group of armed movements in Darfur since 2003.
UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were killed in the conflict and over 2.5 million were displaced.
(ST)