Sudan’s Beshir accuses US of backing Darfur rebels ‘to the hilt’
CAIRO, Sept 30 (AFP) — Sudanese President Omar el-Beshir has accused the United States of backing rebels “to the hilt” in the country’s war-torn Darfur region and said the crisis there has been blown out of all proportion.
His remarks in an interview Thursday in Egypt’s government daily Al-Ahram, came as violence in the region continued and as one of his minister’s slammed the chief of the UN refugee agency for meddling in Sudanese politics.
“I must again point out that the United States is supporting the rebels in Darfur to the hilt and (highlight) its pressure on the (UN) Security Council” to impose solutions on Sudan, Beshir was quoted as saying.
He added the crisis in Darfur, where about 1.4 million people have been displaced and an estimated 50,000 killed in a conflict that erupted in February last year, “has taken on dimensions much larger than it really represents.”
Claiming that Sudan was “behaving itself,” Beshir said there would be “no turning back on peace, democracy and political pluralism” in the country.
The United States has declared that genocide is underway in Sudan and is has been pushing the Security Council for tough action against Khartoum.
Sudan denies the genocide charges, but has grudgingly accepted the demands of the council, which called for Khartoum in a resolution this month to rein in militias and provide security and aid distribution to allow displaced people to return to their homes.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese government has again denied it will grant autonomy to any state in northern Sudan, a press report said.
And government troops repulsed a rebel attack in South Darfur state after killing three rebels and seizing numerous weapons, the police said.
Agriculture Minister Majzub al-Khalifa Ahmed, who is political secretary of the ruling National Congress, was quoted by independent Akhbar Al-Youm daily as saying the government had no plan to grant self-rule to Darfur and “does not speak at the moment about autonomy to any region in the north.”
The government previously rejected a proposal to give autonomy to the Nuba Mountains in south Kordofan and southern Blue Nile states, saying existing agreements give the two territories “greater jurisdiction with regards to disposing of financial resources and to development arrangements.”
“These jurisdictions can now be enjoyed by all states of the Sudan,” Ahmed said.
Ahmed also hit out at UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers, recently in Sudan, branding him as “unqualified for handling political issues.”
Lubbers “has overstepped his limits in the Sudan”, he said, adding that the UNHCR is limited to meeting the needs of Sudanese refugees in Chad and to their voluntary repatriation “rather than talking about domestic political issues.”
Ahmed said a recent statement by Foreign Minister Mustafa Ismail was “misinterpreted” to appear as a government intention of granting self-rule to Darfur and other states. Instead, Ismail was talking about “strengthening the federal rule.”
He did not explain what he meant.
Meanwhile, a Darfur rebel force attacked Menwachi village in South Darfur on Monday, the police said.
“Our forces stood up to the attackers and drove them back after killing three of them and seizing numerous weapons of different kinds, while our forces have not sustained any losses,” a statement said.
This makes 167 rebel violations of an April 8 ceasefire, it said.
The bloodshed began in February 2003 when rebels rose up against Khartoum to demand an end to the alleged marginalisation of their region — mainly peopled by blacks and one of the poorest in Sudan.
The government’s was to give Arab militias known as the Janjaweed a free rein to crack down on the rebels and their supporters. The Janjaweed are accused of murder, rape and torture.