Background of
By:
Mahmoud E. Yousif
E-mail: yousif@darfurna.com
Introduction
The world is passing through a critical period, that have many problems, which may effects existence of human kind on this planet, some of which are related to peaceful coexistence caused by religious disputes and raising of religious political fundamentalism, then there is energy problem, staring from producers control over production to when is it going to depleted? And is the world capable of discovering the renewable alternative energy? Above all, there are problems of the climatic changes! This is causing great thread for our existence in this planet, something started to be realized by the most conscious human groups, and the need for great common efforts to avoid its consequences.
With all these great challenges which required human solidarity to secure continuation of life and welfare to humanity, we find some lacks the least consciousness to realize these dangers. Unfortunately, by illegal control over public resources they managed to carried out goals that dose not related to religious or dominant human values.
Presently, the Sudanese state is facing great crises, resulting from monopoly of power, sovereignty and resources by some, which had reflected negatively on Sudanese people; on the other hand, while defending this false and looted status, it showed how it can carry out inhuman and irreligiously practices, without any care to human values. In this world, where scientific and technological advancements had allowed the Americans in 1980 to read headlines of a newspaper carried by a person in the street of Moscow in the previous Federal Soviet Republics, using highly sensitive camera carried by a satellite on an orbit 300 miles above earth surface, that was before 27 years, now it is commonly used by public, for example anyone can look at more than 1600 burned villages in Darfur using the search engine Google Earth, from which one can imagine the present secretive devices? There is a saying that, you can deceive all people sometimes, and you can deceive some people some time, but you can't deceive all people all the time!
Any genocide
was aimed at eliminating racial, religious or
ideological group from society. Auschwitz
and Pol Pot's
killing fields of
On early
month of 2004 the world start knowing about Darfur, and
that "Africans
are fighting to get some shares,
while the government backed by Arab militant of
Janjaweed are fighting back, duly innocents people killed, displaced and took
refuge in neighbor Chad".
Thus government
position with its allies
the Janjaweed and the military oppositions becomes equivalent
to extend that some people even tried to describe the movements
as equivalent to the Janjaweed! Within that
context truth disappeared, remains
only the
humanitarian dimensions while the root
causes was not traced.
Complication of Darfur tragedy emerged
from factors such as the Islamic religion, long interrelations coexistence and
intermarriages which bonds Africans and Arabs together, general tolerance,
injustice towards the margins particularly in Darfur, and related emergence of
Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM/A), shortage of resources, identity
issue and the Chadian case with consequences of all these on Darfur..
These elements collectively formed this
tragedy, everybody wants an end to it, others preferred to run away rather than
involved in this dramatic tragedy, while others decided to face the situations
aiming at changing that horrible reality.
But how dose the well known good heart
Sudanese people, who are tolerated, generous, noble and brotherhood, how dose
we got involved in such barbaric madness?
How come the Janjaweed got involved in
eliminating such an enormous number of populations in twenty first century,
dose Sudanese people knows about that? While African leaders and intellectuals
failed even to detect what was going on?
People of Darfur and Sudanese in general
were let down by the Arabs, Islamic countries, Institutions, individuals and
the International communities, if due to lack of knowledge, the following may
fill that gap, it provide background to what had happened in Darfur in the
period between 1980 to year 2006, with genuine intention to finding quick
solution to this tragedy, for the benefit of both Africans and Arabs people of
Darfur and the Sudanese people and reflection of that on humanity.
Darfur means the
land of Fur the largest tribe with sovereignty, it is a society that combined
many tribes, it is in the western part of Sudan (see the map), bordering Libya
in western north, Chad in the west and Central Africa Republic in the southern
west, the border extension with Chad alone is 800 kilometers, it covers an area
of 493 180 km² (196,555 miles²). It is largely an arid plateau with the Jebel Marra (
During the Sultanate of the Keira Dynasty, the region had developed the
demographic structure that would endure for the twentieth century. The
agricultural Fur were located in the remnants of the sultanate in the center.
Just north of them were the Tunjur, who had ruled before the sultanate. From
the northwest came Nilo-Saharan cultivators who also practiced varying degrees
of animal husbandry, such as the Berti and Zagawa. The Nubian-speaking Birgid
and Meidob peoples, also farmers, came from the northeast. To the west lay Dar
Masalit; the Masalit had successfully maintained their independence from Dar
Fur
because it was the last independent Sultanate recognized under the British and
Egyptian coundulant rule in accordance with Glani agreement in1919, that it do
have the right to have its own specialization.
Bedouin Arabs came from the far northwest, including the Ta'isha, Rizeigat,
Habbaniya and Beni Halba. While Arabs in the north continued to herd camels,
those who ventured south where there was comparatively abundant rainfall mixed
with a later migration of Fula speakers and began to herd cattle, forming the
Baggara (literally, "those of the cow"), who settled in the southeast [1].
Part of
On
right, a map of
The Grand Darfur
includes three states, the
1-
Original African race consists
from tribes of Fur, Masalit, Zagawa, Berti, Dagu, Tungur, Midob, Birgid,
Albigu, Tama, Bargu, Barnu, Bediat, Myma, Sngar, Mararit and other small
tribes, in combine they represents 75% of the region population.
2-
Arabic race which entered
Darfur within the Arabs migrations, it consists of Rizigat in the north they
are camels herdsmen, Rizigat in south they are cattle herdsmen, Habanya,
Beni-Halba, Taisha, Mahamied, Mahrya, Zayadya, Beni-Hussien, Maalya and other
mixtures all of whom represents 25% of the population in Darfur.
The Tables bellow
shows towns of each state and the population of its locality, before 2000.
Statistics of Great
|
|
|
|||
NUMBER OF POPULATION |
LOCALITY |
NUMBER OF POPULATION |
LOCALITY |
NUMBER OF POPULATION |
LOCALITY |
479,337 |
Al-Genyna |
656,933 |
Alfashir |
874,235 |
Nyala |
119,411 |
Wadi-Saleh |
772,928 |
Kutom |
197,661 |
Adyla |
206,875 |
Habila |
196,693 |
Um-Kadada |
561,693 |
Aldaien |
392,892 |
Gebel
Marra |
343,164 |
Kabkabya |
336,527 |
Buram |
216,778 |
Kulbos |
184,368 |
Malit |
519,046 |
Kas |
265,852 |
Zalinge |
|
|
438,892 |
Ed-Alfursan |
|
|
|
|
416,444 |
Tulos |
|
|
|
|
394,474 |
Rehad-Albardi |
|
|
|
|
321,418 |
Sheiria |
1,681,145 |
Total |
2,154,086 |
Total |
4,060,390 |
Total |
7,895,621 |
Total |
Table.1.
Number of population in each town and state, before 2000.
Conscious in the Making
1955/80
Before and after
independence in 1956 political activities were carried
by northern politicians and
local tribal leaders or their
sons, on the other hand 35-40%
of Sudanese Army consists of soldiers who
originated from Darfur, they acquired political consciousness
during their assignment inside and
outside Sudan, leading them to
develop awareness towards their region and Sudan since
mid fifties. The activities of political parties among students in Darfur at
the end of fifties and Darfurian students,
who were been accepted at Juba
University in South Sudan in mid seventies, started
comparing Darfur status with Southern Sudan under the
regional government, where most all administrators were from South Sudan in
contrast to Darfur.
That process of awareness
arrived through a painful process of Movements started with The Red Flame (Al-Laheeb Al-Ahmar) established in 1957, it was an
underground movement established just one year after the independence of the
Sudan, with main objective of enlightening the people of Darfur. During the
military period of Ibrahim Aboud (1958-1964), a Movement by the name of Sooney
appeared between 1963/64, which was lead by Darfurian army veterans who fought against
Anaya one in Southern Sudan, returning to Darfur with some awareness, the
movement was severely crashed by the military junta of Khartoum, where even
soldiers working in Southern Sudan were arrested.
After October revolution in 1964, the
marginalized groups of South
Sudan, Nuba, Fung, Bigga,
Kordufan and Darfur formed the Union of the Rural,
with aim to unite themselves to replace the
traditional parties (Umma and National Union Parties), the Union consists
of, The Southern Front,
All Union of Nuba Mountains, The Union of North and South of
Engasana, Beja Union, Kurdufan Renaissance Front and the
Darfur Renaissance Front (DRF), it was established in 1964/65, with main
objective to demand economic development and independency of political policies.
When Gafar Mahamad Nimari made the military
cup in 1969, he was opposed by the main
two parties, many followers of which were from
western Sudan, they were recruited for militarily
training in Ethiopia and Libya, within that environment, the Western Sudan People’s Organization (WSPO)
was established 1977/79 lead by Yagoub Ismaiel (the late Cdr Mahamad Gumma Nair
was a member of that organization before joining the SPLM/A), they were members
of the National Front which tried to took power militarily in
1976, the failure
of which had brought terrible
consequences to people from western Sudan
generally (including the Nuba people).
In 1980 Nimari established five states
in Northern Sudan, he appointed Altyeb Mahamad Almardi (from
northern Kordufan) governor
for Darfur, the decree was opposed
with instant and intense demonstrations
calling him to be replaced by a
governor from the region, Nimari
yielded and appointed Ustaz Ahmad Ibrahim Derage (Fur tribe) as
governor. Some Arab intellectuals accused Ustaz Derage
of tribalism; Ustaz Derage
left
After April 1985
upraising in Sudan, an
election was held in 1986, where
the Umma party formed a coalition government
with DUP and Abdelnabi Ahmed was
appointed governor of Darfur, then followed by Dr. Tjani
Sesi.
Traditional Tribal
Conflicts in
Like all human societies, people in
For that reason, specific
paths were opened, with width ranging between 2-8 kilometers, through different
tribal lands, for pastorals movement southwards and westwards during summer and
northwards and westwards during raining season [2].
Before 1992, different tribal wars in Darfur used to occurs due to problems
related to these paths [2], within
that context, present Abyei problem could be understood, as it lay within the
path of Myseria tribe towards water and pastures during the summer, such
problem used to be tackled regardless to political or ethnic dimensions.
Emergence of the Arab
In
1988 Some intellectuals from Arab tribes of Darfur representing a
committee of the Arab Alliance wrote a letter to then Prime Minister Mr. Alsadiq Almahadi [3] requesting
the government to give Arabs of Darfur half of the constitutional post in both the
regional and central governments, they claimed to represents the most cultured
and civilized group in the region, the letter was condemned by members of
national parliament, political parties and trade unions. In that year, weapons
were secretly delivered to Arabs groups by the Army Chief of Stuff, as verified
by the Parliamentarian Investigation committee in 1987/88.
In the same year (1988), Arab Alliance issued another secret memorandum to its
members directing them to Disturb Gov.
of Dr. Tjani Sesi in
The Clashes
between Arabs tribes and Fur 1985-90
Due to ecological, economical and
political reasons Mahrya Arab tribe
wage war in 1985 against the
Zagawa, skirmishes used to take place till
1989 when 27 Arab tribes lodged a war against Fur tribe with an aim to
dislodge them from their fertilized land
around Jebel Mara,
that war had racial and political roots [5],
it continued till the military coup d`état in
June 30, 1989 carried by the National Islamic Front
(NIF) led by President Omar Hassan Albashir under the guidance of
Dr. Hassan Abdalla Alturabi.
Daud Yahya Bolad Factor 1989/90
Daud Yahya Bolad do have great effect in
After graduation in 1978, he return to Nyala to start a
carpentry firm with finance from an Islamic bank, he remained active in
building the Muslim Brotherhood, renamed National Islamic Front in 1985 [6].
When Turabi joined Alsadiq Almahadi in the "Islamic
trend cabinet" in 1988, Turabi silenced all NIF criticism of Libyan
sponsoring the Arabs in
Before that, both Faroq Ahmad Adam (Graduates) and
Abdulgbar Adam Abdulkharim (Garsilla) resigned from NIF, on January 17, 1989
due to its hostile stands towards people of Darfur, as they mentioned [5], they
said what is happening in Darfur is not armed robbery, but it is organized
political and armed robbery, that it is:
1-
Forcibly re-shaping
2-
Arabizing authority in
3-
Using that to overthrow
present Chadian authority and to push the Arabian revolution and opening
training camps for that in
That move caused crisis, which intensified when it become
known that the above Arab tribes alliance against the Fur was tacitly backed by
the central government, in which the NIF was a coalition partner. When NIF took
power in 1989, Bolad met President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir with delegates of
twenty one persons; Bashir told them that "South can separate but Darfur
No" [8] this turned Bolad against his former colleagues as he defended his
Fur tribesmen [6].
Bolad was annoyed by repeated element of anti-African racism
existed in Northern society, including the rank of Islamic movement, he had
deeply believed that as the Koran says, all men are equal in the eyes of God
once they have fully taken part in the Muslim Umma (nation). But his daily
practice of life in the Islamic movement had showed him that reality was
different and that "even when I go to the mosque to pray, even there, in
the presence of God, for them I am still a slave (abid) and they will assign me
a place related to my race"[7].
As Bolad decided to side his people, he went to
From Chad he left to Ethiopia to meet with others fellows
where he entered South Sudan into Eastern Equatoria to meet Dr. John Garang de
Mabiour at Esoka in December 1990, where they joined the
Sudan People Liberation Movement and Army (SPLM/A).
SPLA in
SPLM/A was
established in May 16, 1983 in South Sudan near Ethiopian
border, with an aim of establishing the
New Sudan or the Utopia State. At
beginning SPLM/A was backed by President Moamar Gadafi of Libya
and Mengistu Hila Merriam of Ethiopia,
at that period most Northerner Sudanese
parties backed SPLM/A to get ride
of Nimari regime. Chaired
by Dr John Garang De Mabior SPLM attracted Southerners and many of
the marginalized in the North
particularly from Nuba Mountains lead by the late
Cdr Yousif Kuwa Makki and Cdr Abdulazia Adam Alhilu (originally from
Masalit in Darfur, but grow up in Nuba
Mountains), both established the Komolo
secret movement in 1979 while studying at the University of
Khartoum, Nuba people were motivated by Komolo in joining SPLM.
When NIF took power in
When Eng. Daud Yahya
Bolad fall out with NIF due to policies
practiced towards his own tribe Fur, based
on racial discrimination,
he decided to join SPLM/A
remembering his old colleges Yousif Kuwa Makki and Abdulazia Adam
Alhilu. That decision was a great shift for a
leading Islamist, it represents the core of
conflicts in Islamic religion, regarding relations
between the Arabs and the non-Arabs Muslims,
as related to leadership and the position of non-Muslims in the
Islamic society, which led many African Kingdoms to claims descending
from the prophet Mahamed (peace upon him), it
happened to Fur, Funj and Tagali kingdoms in Sudan
[10].
SPLM/A contacted Hissen Habre, who
understood the situations in Sudan and supplied Fur with
weapons which halted Arabs offensives in July 1989, but started again in
September after a visit by Brigadier Tigani Adam al-Tahir to Libya aiming at
accelerating unity between the two countries, when it
didn't materialized Libya started losing interest in Darfur,
Dr. John Garang though of exploring collaboration with the Baggara tribes through
Hissen Habre, that plane failed by the collaps of regime on December1,
1990 when Deby's forces entered N'djamena [7].
Bolad traveled
to
When SPLA
entered Darfur, which represents the source
of the Sudanese Army fighting machinery, it
was met with fierce skirmishes
by the Arabs militants, who were been made to believe that
SPLM/A hidden agenda is to repeat Arabs history and fate
in Spain and Zanzibar.
SPLA force was dispersed,
Engineer
Daud Yahya Bolad was captured in November
1991 when he insisted to meet a
relative who was NIF member (regardless
of opposition from Abdulaziz Adam Alhilu and others over
that), and the man betrayed
him.
Al-Tayib Ibrahim Muhammad Kheir, known since university days as Al-Tayib Sikha
("Iron Bar, for his violence"), a former contemporary and underling
of Bolad, was the military governor of Darfur, who commanded the forces against
the SPLA in Darfur, at that period the government being short of troops, it
used Arab Murahleen militiamen to hunt him, confirming the pertinence of his
racial analysis [7].
Bolad appeared in a video recording on
Others mentioned
that, he was severely tortured to the death in January 1992 [7], Bolad's
abandonment of a religionist and outwardly nationalist movement (as seem to be
at time) in favor of an SPLM (generally interpreted as ethnic and regionalist),
reflects the frustrations and cleavages in Sudan's political culture [6],
the present situations in Darfur proved how this could have been avoided
if the Northerners were not ethnically oriented, the lessons of the South was
never been grasped.
Later in 1992,
when President Jimmy Carter
mediated between SPLM and
Martyr Engineer Daud
Yahya Bolad died but for humanity he
lay down certain values, where he became a legacy
among SPLA members and a corner stone for a vision towards more human society in
the New Sudan, even his old colleges praised him
in the Black Book which appeared in 1999 after the division in
the National Congress Party (NCP)
between Bashir and Turabi; the following was written
about Bolad in that book: "We are asking God; mercy upon our brother the martyr Daoud Yehya Bolad,
and let God accept his efforts, he paid his life price for his far sighted, and
redemption for his early consciousness which led him to realize our present
situation before several years"[7].
Bolad case illustrates the role imposed
on Africans intellectuals in multi Arab-Islamic
societies and leadership, that role is limited to back and
execute planes laid out by the Arabs elite, where
Islam became merely a means to expand the interests and influence of Arabs
racial group and means to force
outsiders to total subjection, for these reasons many Southerners
were distorted with the idea that
Islam is just a Religion for Arabs.
Re-Activation
of the Arab
The attempt by SPLM/A
force to have a foot in
1-
The Islamic Movement lost
confidence in youth of
2-
The Africans tribes are not
guarantee for the security of the regime.
3-
4-
Arabs tribes are guarantee,
and good keeper for that gate.
The NIF strongly reacted to SPLA
transferring war to Darfur, because their justification for waging religious
war may undermined, in a region where Islamic faith among the Africans and
Arabs represents the core of human activities and a weak point for
exploitations, it was considered as determinant factor for winning the war
against SPLA, therefore by opening the Darfur front, particularly with presence
of a person with capabilities and background of Bolad, that may facilitate in
causing core transformations in society, which could led in reduction of
backyard area that assists in backing the absolute rules, based on personal or
family interpretations.
Thus
1992 represents the turning point towards the
implementation of Arabism polices by NIF
in
Within that environments of escalated
Pan Arabism, NIF leadership reacted severely to Martyr Bolad
attempt to create alliance between
Darfur and SPLA (the African depth)
accordingly in June 1992 Dr. Hassan Abdalla Alturabi
reached to the conclusion that:
"African
Muslims tribes start opposing Islamic movement,
therefore the Islamic movement new
plan should aimed at
supporting Arabs tribes through the following procedures:
Forcefully dislodging
Fur tribe from Jebel
Mara and
blocking them at Wadi Saleh and completely disarm
them, meanwhile to resettle
Mahria, Al-Etyfat and
Erigat (Arabs tribes) in that land. The
Zagawa should not be allowed
to posses weapons,
and they should be dislodge from Kotom in northern
Darfur to Omrwaba (Northern Kordofan), and that Arabs
tribes should be armed and financed so as to become the
core fore Arab Islamic Alliance" [5].
Since
that attempt, government policy became open
by encouraging tribal and racial groups such as the Arabs
Alliance to be formed and
organized, where in 1992 Dr. Alteyeb Ibrahim Mahamad Khir the governor
of
Thus
transformed from critics of civil society and ruling establishment, to blessing
and supports of the official ruling authorities, the Arab Alliance issued a top
secret Memorandum in
1992 by the name of Qurash Two [13]
(a tribe in Arabian peninsula from which prophet Mahamad descend), explaining to
its members the general plans of the Arab Alliance, which should be achieved
before 2020 under name of Quraish Two, the goal should target area of the six
regions of western Sudan, it contain planes, programs and means to achieve that
[13].
The Origin of Janjaweed!
When
SPLA started the military campaign, some advanced forces went near the
With
the success of that plan, the central government implemented it in Bahar
Algazal, where it formed what became known as the peace force, composed of
tribes whose leader is friendly with the government, later these forces were
established in Upper Nile and Equatoria regions, it carried out many
operations, by backing the arm forces in securing major towns and oil fields.
Previously,
the northern boundary tribes had bought great amount of weapons that had
leakage to Sudan after the falling of Idi Amin Dada regime in Uganda in 1979,
it was been bought around the boarder town of Kaya. In 1988/6, the government
formed the Murahilin militants from boundary Arab tribes, especially after
receiving the government weapons, these militants were been given the task of
guarding the trains from Babanusa to Wau in Bahar Algazal, because they ride
horses which help in the forest and quick movement. These forces also
participated in escorting convoys, they coordinated with the arm forces in
carrying out common operations in Bahar Algazal, but due to administration independency and lack of disciplines, it committed
many atrocities.
As
mentioned, when SPLA entered
After
that, and between 1995/2, the name of Janjaweed start been used in
There
was a habit among individuals and groups of tribal societies in central and
northern Sudan to practice Hambata (violent rubbery), this a kind of robbery
where white arms were used to rob the victims, people who were carrying such
robbery usually were brave, adventurers and generous, they used to distribute
their booty with poor and week families, for that villagers used to sympathized
with them and never direct the police to their hide out.
For
that reason, when the Janjaweed started their looting activities, many thought
it could only be part of armed robbery or those Hambata, they never thought it
is to this extend of seriousness.
The word Janjaweed composed
from three words Jan meaning the devil, G-3 the German sub machine gun and
Jawad means a horse, the full meaning is "a Devil
carrying submachine gun and riding a horse",
everyone can imagine what this devil can
do, although SLM/A interpretation for the word is that they are
"group of disgraced people from different tribes, used by the
government", others claimed that the word was used to
refer to militants who follows the local guards of local administration,
Al-Rezigat tribe in South Darfur interpreted it as a bandage
of thieves from several tribes who steals camels and cows for
personal interests, while Dr. Tigani Mustafa explained it as "referred to
the armed group from Arab tribes [2]".
Strengthening
the Arab
In
1992
the Administration of Military Operators of the Regional Arab Alliance
Committee, issued an order, directing its followers to loot all cattle,
donkeys, horses and camels from Fur tribe, killing Fur leaders,
representatives, intellectuals and to distribute Chadian Arabs who arrived with
Idriss Gamous and Hussein Habri in Fur specific area with other measurements [14].
These instructions
were carried till 1994, where Fur tribe
faced alone the consequence
of these polices, thus thousands were killed, others were forced
from their villages to settled in larger towns such as
Zalingi, Nyala, Alginyna, Alfashir and Khartoum.
The official
policy aiming at formation of Arab belt through re-distribution of population
in
Dar Masalit in
western
That was an odd behavior,
because Arabs doesn’t represents 20% of the population of western Darfur and
those who were recognized and given flags some were refugees who fled the war
in Chad, the decree immediately ignited
problems in that state [7, 12].
In the Northerner
part of
As mentioned, both Africans
and Arabs tribes
of
Between 1997 and 2000, missions were
sent by the Arab Alliance to Chad, Niger and Mauritania in west Africa inviting
Arabs to immigrate for settlement in Darfur, many arrived where they were been
issued with identity cards, trained and joined to the
Janjaweed, these groups in particular are the worst who committed
great atrocities, because they lack the sense of citizenship and related
humanity.
The
Resistance and Establishment of SLM/A and JAM
Although some leading politicians and
activists were aware about the racial attempts by some Arabs
groups to cause troubles in
In 1994,
the New Sudan Brigade (NSB) was formed by SPLM/A in eastern Sudan
under the coalition of NDA, where some troops were
lifted to Eastern
Sudan from the South headed by Cdr Pagan Amom and Cdr Abdulazia Adam Alhilu,
originally from Darfur, Al-Hilu presence attracted many people
from Darfur who were displaced in the
north, joined NSB in hundreds
with presence of great securities, it
reflects their readiness, just waiting
for the opportunity.
Meanwhile, the consequences of
government policies in Darfur, forced groups from Fur, Zagawa, Masalit and other
tribes to reject the general trends of wasting times through reconciliation
conferences; thus they broke away from NCP after reaching to a
conclusion that the only means to defend their people rights is to carry guns
and rebel against the regime, particularly when security situation around Jebel
Mara deteriorated, where intense rides were carried by the Janjaweed. At mid of
2002, some Zagawa went to Jebel Mara to defend the Fur; among them was the late
Cdr Abdalla Abakar and Cdr Mani Arko Manawi, where they start training the Fur,
at that period the government arrested many people particularly from Fur tribe
in Zalingi and Nyala. On August 2002 a conference was held at Nerteti in Jebel
Mara to resolve that situation, the government demanded Zagawa withdrawal from
Jebel Mara, in return the Fur conditioned released of the detainees [17].
Zagawa withdraw
from Jebel Mara, and those in
detention including Ustaz Abdelwahed
Mahamad Nur were released, but the Janjaweed and government atrocities never stopped,
the Zagawa group returned back, Abdelwahid joined
them, where on March 2003 they
established Darfur Liberation Front (DLF) which
was renamed to Sudan
Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A)
headed by Ustaz Abdelwahid Mahamad Nur and
Commanded by Abdalla Abaker, in early 2004 Cdr Mani
Arko Manawi was elected the secretary General [9,
17].
On the other hand,
some previous members of
NCP, established the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM)
on April 2003, headed by Dr. Khalil Ibrahim. Both
movements astonished the world by their bravery operations, particularly
During that
period, the Political Committee of
Coordinating Council of the Arab Alliance issued a secret report on
November 15, 2003, calling Arabs in the region to support their idea, seeking
help from scientists, thinkers and economists, to reconcile different Arabs
tribes (because many oppose them), to tackle their differences within the context
of religion and Sharia and to change the name of Darfur [18].
When events start escalating, it caused great anxiety among Arab Alliance, where
another memorandum was issued in early 2004 by the Information and
Political Committee, informing its members about the establishment of SLM/A and
the need to prevent Sudan from getting out of Islamic state [19].
Many Arabs refused these calls, leading by Al-Nazir Saeed Mahmoud Musa
Madibo (Paramount Chief) of Al-Rizigate, refused different calls and pressures
from the highest authorities to allow the tribe to joining the Janjaweed, he
insisted to keep the human relations developed through centuries intake, thus
his area in South Darfur (its capital Al-Daien) is the only safe multi ethnic
area in whole Darfur, and this is for history, while those who joined the
Janjaweed, were on personal bases.
The Janjaweed intensified its atrocities, burning villages, killing people;
raping women in a method aiming at wiping out great number of population in a
short period of time. This is where the international community starts becoming
aware of events in Darfur and great amount of pressures were put on Sudan
government without success, the tragedy of people of Darfur still escalating, until
early 2005 the number of people killed is estimated to be more that 300,000,
the true number could only be known after the genocide
ended, at present burned villages and displaced persons are
estimated in the following table [20]:
State |
Burnt Villages |
IDPs |
Displaced Families |
Religious Houses |
Schools |
|
1921 |
1427226 |
237878 |
044 |
107 |
|
1207 |
0944718 |
157453 |
061 |
214 |
|
0688 |
0724556 |
120759 |
037 |
154 |
Total |
3816 |
3096500 |
516000 |
142 |
475 |
Table 2.
Estimated Burnt Villages, affected families and public amenities in the
three States of Darfur, till early 2005 [20].
On the other hand, the main
reasons for displacement in 1989 were drought and desertification by 30% and
security component only by 2% [5], comparing that with present more than three
(3) internal displaced and more than 300 thousand refugee in Chad, this
comparison alone shows the really motivation behind such displacement, and the awful
experiences faced by these people.
SPLA, the Second Attempt
Cdr Ahmad
Kobor Gebreal, the Arabs Participation
In 1998 the late Cdr Yousif Kuwa Makki met some leaders
from western Sudan, among them the activist Haj Esmaiel Altug (died in Kampal
in March 2004), they met again on January 2001 (above photo) accompanied with
the late Abdelaziz Albushra (passed away in December 2004) and Cdr Ahmad Kobor
Gibreal (presently with SLA, commanding the Southerner sector of Darfur), Cdr
Kuwa made some recommendations and preparation for them to met Dr. John Garang
(unfortunately Kuwa passed away in March 2001).
The group already had
established "The
Western Sudan Movement for Justice, Equality and Democracy",
in their Manifesto, they mentioned the plane by the government to fuel tribal
war in
When Cdr Abdulaziz Adam Alhilu arrived Kampala early January 2001, from Eastern Sudan through Asmara (Eritrea), to take over from Cdr Yousif Kuwa as Governor of Nuba Mountains, he arrived with the glory resulted from the successful Kassala operation, when they tactically withdrew from Hamshkorip town to go around and captured Kassala town in December 2000, resulted in great victory for New Sudan Brigade (NSB) which is part of SPLA, all of which boosted his image.
Haj Ismaiel asked for a
meeting with Cdr Abdulaziz. Accompanied by, Ahmad Kubor and Abdulaziz Albushra,
Cdr Abdulaziz brought Abdulbagi Mukhtar and I was present. Their main aim was
to establish relationship with SPLM/A and get military supports in order to
launch war in
Foreseen the possibilities of bringing democracy back to Sudan through great coalitions, by waging gorilla war based on popular supports, I decided to give weights to Haj Ismaiel arguments, hopping that may boost broad base Western front coalition, like NDA in the East, Al-Hilu completely refused backed by Abdulbagi. That decision was based on the illusive ideological background gape realizing that later, when we discussed several times, where I told him at one of it with great pain, that I will concentrate my efforts during the coming period in the research which I was conducting.
In that month, Al-Hilu sent for Major Adam Bazooka who joined NSB around 1996, where in 1998 he was transfer to South Sudan with others, many of them from Darfur, who latter resided in Western Equatoria (Yei and Maridi).
I left
The sudden emergence of
SLM/A in early 2003, as a Darfurian movement reflecting the internal efforts of
Darfurians to participate in resolving the region problems and that of Sudan
from their own perspectives, had caused great complications to many who already
have master plans. Dr. John Garang together with Abdulaziz Adam Al-Hilu
persuaded its leaders to integrate with SPLM/A, Abdulwaheed Mahamd Nur SLM/A
chairman, Abdalla Abakar the Army Commander and Mani Arko Manwi were brought to
Rumbek around March 2003, Abdalwaheed agreed to unite, while Abdalla Abakar
completely refused, the same was the stand of Mani. Although coordination
between both movements was established, but SPLM/A couldn't tolerate another
Movement with such momentum in
While preparations
underway, in September 2003, I felt the damage such force, led by Bazooka may
cause to
Unification issues was not resolved when Adam Bazooka was airlifted with his group to Darfur On October 2003, latter I was informed by one of Darfurian, that Bazooka tried to forced them to go with him (at that time he was promoted to Commander), but they refused, other informed me that they can't participate in such crime. This new strange force clearly had led to suspicions of Mani towards both Abdalwaheed the SPLM/A, latter he start talking to his group that Abdalwaheed was just a Commander with SPLA.
From his arrival to his death on April 2004, Adam Bazooka, failed to make ground in Darfur not that alone, it also caused great damages to interrelations within SLA reflected in the great hatred between Abdalwaheed and Mani, all of which led to present disintegration within the movement, it also restrain the great momentums started by SLA, in additions to great suspicions from the Chadian, who felt threats from the SLA itself.
The
There were many efforts made by people from Darfur to
launch military activities in Darfur, In that context, some leading figures
from Arab tribes who were officers in Sudanese Army arrived in Northern Bahar
Al-Gazal in 1997 to join SPLA in order to start military operations in Darfur,
they were headed by General Abdulgadir Hamid Al-Mahadi (commissioned to
commander by SPLA), Major Omar Alsed Hasaballa and others, but that didn’t
materialized due to many factors.
When he failed in the above attempts, Cdr
Ahmad Kobor Gebreal returned
to Darfur, when SLM/A launched
its activities, he joined the Movement in mid 2003, becoming the Commander of
the Southern Sector of Darfur,
he led major offensives in En Nhud, Buram and other places. He played a big
role with others giving the true dimension of
the area as marginalized, showing that
these
Movements are not limited to African descents.
He participated in the early
thee
How
the World Came to Know about the Genocide?
As mentioned, all tribal wars in Darfur before 1983, were evolve around pasture, grazing land, water and stealing of cows or camels [1, 5], but after the upraising in 1985, when SPLM/A refused invitation by the government of Let. General Abdulrahman Soar Aldahab, the war started escalating, it start taking a different face from what used to be before, intense automatic weapons were used, causing great death, the region entered into the first phase between 1983/87, some tribes were helped by Libya, while others by Chad, amount of weapons increased and the death too.
Sice the Arab Alliance had emerged publicly in 1988, through their open letter to the prim minister, hence their could have been some secret works before that, dully it was not a surprise that the second stage of the war between 1993/87 took racial polarized shape [5], it could have resulted from that secret activities combined with agitations carried out by the Arab Alliance and its followers, that stage ended when the state recognized and started coordinated with it officially after the failure of SPLA in penetrating Darfur, dully I think the second stage can justifiably be between 1992/87.
The third stage started in 1993 till now, when justification for coordination between the state and Arab Alliance with its elements the Janjaweed was established, it is the stage which characterized with extreme brutality.
Before both SLM/A and JAM started their operations in March 2003, there was great internal displacements and refuges to Chad, leading to intervention of local and international relief organizations, and the United Nation High Commission for Refugee, particularly in Chad, these organizations reflected to the outside world what was going in Darfur, leading western countries to mobilized its institutions to gather information about situations in Darfur, the picture started becoming clearer about great tragedy that is taken place in Darfur.
Then came the
announcements of Mr. Mukesh
Kapila, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, the
first to disclosed events in Darfur, he move human consciences, when he
declared in a press conference at Nairobi on March 21, 2004, that "The war-torn Darfur region of western Sudan
is the "world's greatest humanitarian crisis", comparable to the
Rwandan genocide of 1994 in terms of human rights abuses", he continued " the "vicious war" in Darfur had
led to violations on a scale that was comparable in character to the Rwandan
situation, the only difference between Rwanda and
Darfur now is the numbers involved". He said "The pattern of organized
attacks on civilians and villages, abductions, killings and organized rapes by militias was getting worse by the day, and
could deteriorate even further. One can see how the situation might develop
without prompt [action]...all
the warning signs are there". He continued, "I think some people are using the term ethnic
cleansing and I would say that is not
far off the mark," he added,
"I think the term is being used by certain people because it's one group
of people organizing themselves to do away with another group
of people, and that's a
definition of ethnic cleansing".
Kapila
added that "the systematic depopulation of the
Recently, Global
Security organization [22] disclosed highly resolution
photos for villages that were burned in
In a functional village you see trees, and the houses will all have cone-shaped roofs made of grass. And you can see ... goats, cows, dogs - and you'll see people walking around.
In destroyed villages, you can see the walls, which mean the roofs, have been burned down or destroyed, and you won't see any animals, any people, or any trees because they've been all burned".
As earlier mentioned, these photos are in thousands, recently Earth Google EarthGoogle has put more than 1600 such photos of burned villages in Darfur, accessible to anybody, the following are three samples of such photos from Global Security, (Credit is to DigitalGlobe, Inc. Department of State via USAID):
During that period, the American position was not clear regardless of these photos, because as from past events, one can ask, what dose they exchange in return for batch of terrorists received in 2004.
Mr. Mukesh Kapila announcements and these photos, helped in moving human consciences,
forcing waves of Human rights organizations and Journalists to go to Darfur,
such as Human Rights Watch they and produced report on April 2004 (Massive Atrocities
In Darfur), Justice Africa, International Crises Groups and many
others … TV Channels, like CNN (Christian Amamphore) went there, also BBC, AFP,
CBS, .., Journalists from New York Times, Washington Post and … many other TV
channels, Journalists and Photographers, all transmitted what they witnessed to
the whole world, human consciences further moved, remembering Rwanda Genocide
ten years earlier, when the world decided never again! it is happening again
with great insistence, while no value for those whose fate are to be
Darfurians! Where the Janjaweed kills men, while for women and girls, if not
killed they were raped and their hands are marked to carry stigma for ever,
these were carried out in
The unknown
internal government position, after
1.
Repel any expected attacks by
SLM/A.
2.
Easily reach to any group in
case of event.
The plan was
gradually implemented, which shows the great relationship between the
government and the Janjaweed.
Calls from
Several attempts were
made by Darfurian civil societies to stop events in
* In March 1999, a group of 1300, among them previous occupants of constitutional posts, students, professionals and tribal leaders, among them Dr. Ali Hassan Tajuldin previous member of head of the State council and Dr. Adam Musa Madibo, leaders of Uma Party, ten Omda (Paramount Chiefs) and sixteen Cheifs, raised memorandum to the President of the Republic, President Omar Hassan Bashir [15].
The memorandum started by the follow:
Oblige towards our
national responsibilities towards
﴾O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam), and from him (Adam) He created his wife {Hawwâ (Eve)}, and from them both He created many men and women; and fear Allâh through Whom you demand (your mutual rights), and (and do not cut the relations of) of the wombs (kindship). Surely, Allâh is Ever an All-Watcher over you﴿ "4:1" [15].
The memorandum contains several issues among them are:
Tribal problems in Darfur, tribal conflicts in Gynyna area of western Darfur, necessity of the extraordinary measurements, developments in Darfur, cancellation of development projects and crippling of services through misuse of public funds and misuse of power, western salvation road, armed robbery, peaceful coexistence and tribal problems.
The memorandum ended with
some suggestions, among them, State recognition of special status of
* Memorandum
of the human rights division of the People of Darfur On December 4, 1999 to
both the Chairman of Human Rights Committee in the National Council, the
Minister of Justice and Attorney General with copies to Governor of Western
Darfur, Governor of Southern Darfur, Governor of Northern Darfur, Sudanese
Human Rights Organization and the United Nations Human Rights Observer In Sudan
[23].
The Memorandum was
written by:
a-
Fifty four (54) Leaders and tribal
Administrations representing different tribes of
b-
Fifty six (56) Lawyers and
Legal Advisors.
After strong
introduction, the Memorandum stated the following
1-
In
2-
Tortures are prevailing by
detaining civilians in military intelligence custody, and securities detentions
away from specialized judiciary instruments (the Judiciary) and their
procedures.
3-
Confessions are extracted
using savage and barbaric ways by bandages that doesn’t resemble Sudanese
people.
4-
Many cases of killing, rapes
and great tortures were mentioned.
5-
Request for investigation and
to present whoever involved in committing these extremes and violations to
immediate and just trails.
* Memorandum No. 1 About the
Racial Sedition that going on in Darfur, issued by 21 Leaders from African
Tribes of Darfur, who met in Nyala town On
December, 18 2003, they stated that [24]:
1-
They
were
silence for long time about the
sedition that had been going on in
2-
The activities are carried by
destructive racial group proclaimed Arabism.
3-
The group divided people on
racial basis.
4-
They spread death and
destructions to push civilians from their home without any right, in a form of
corruption never witness in
5-
Janjaweed forces are
committing crimes against humanity, by savagely killing children, women and
elders, they are disgrace with shame that should stick to anybody who tried to
agitate, coordinate, giving support or help to them.
6-
The leaders decided to work
to prevent this sedition and to confront it with God help and strength.
7-
This sedition was under
preparations for a period that had exceeding two decades, with strategies and
goals been implemented through phases.
8-
They group have abilities to adopt and contain
ruling systems and to exploit it for its destructive goals.
9-
To expose the secret plans of
the Arabs Alliance who are backing the Janjaweed.
10-
The organization is
exploiting instruments and resources of the government and the ruling party.
11-
The organization (Arabs
Alliance) was responsible for establishment of the Janjaweed, and
its continual efforts in exploiting the state, last of their action was that,
they saved elements that had committed worst crimes against humanity, while
they justified attacks on civilians. (Massacres of Tygi village – December 2003).
12-
The role of the racial
organization was not limited on disrupt stability in
13-
Appreciation of attitudes of
some leaders from Arabic tribes for rejecting the racial calls which they
opposed even before it had been exposed, and they presented material evidence
to prove these activities.
14-
Calls for immediate and
permanent ceasefire in
15-
Attached with the memorandum,
seven secret documents issued by Arab Alliance.
Voices from
Since the beginning of
tribal war in Darfur, before it reached present stage, many Sudanese thinkers,
researchers and writers wrote about Sudanese situations in general,
particularly that of Darfur, their writings, interviews and debates were aimed
at discovering and warning to avoid the consequences of such sedition tribal
war transformed into racial conflicts, which may have great impact on the long
run, thus their writings were aimed at getting local and regional popular
pressure to resolve it. Some went farther than what talked by the cultures of
the military movements in
*
Dr. Mohamad Suliman, (Editor by Salah Al Bander): Sudan, War of Resources and
Identity, Page Seven about Darfur: Oasis in confrontation of desert (with
participation of Ustaz Ahmad Osman Omar), although the writers idea about
previous war in Darfur is that it evolves about resources, they said the second
civil war (1993/87) in the following:
"The second civil war escalated, forming racial polarization, that showed itself in wide alliance contains tribes from Arabic origins; confrontations becomes more violent, savagery and destructive than previous stages. Consequently, fighters, security and political leaders and independent observers couldn’t see clearly the root causes of the dispute" [5].
* Dr. Albaqir Alafif
Mukhtar, Expert in the American Institute for Peace, activist and writer in
wide issues related to Human Rights and identity conflicts in
"The main reason for
fighting in
He criticizes oppositions
in
About Janjaweed, Dr. Afifi said:
"There is something important than the name of Janjaweed, that is
the concept of Janjaweed, describing it as very racists" [25].
About the American
concern about
"It started as
popular interest, activated by media, naturally due to the extreme violations
and atrocities committed towards villages, showed by Satellites, watched by
everybody. The great displacements and committed crimes were awful, it moved
human conscientious everywhere. The conscientious now moved in the West,
expressed by great popular interests, general public and organizations. Civil
societies and Human Rights Organizations, thus Civil Societies raised and
pressed governments; these are democratic governments, they are sensitive
towards its people; it should comply in order to stay in power, because power
is owned by people in West" [26].
He continued, regarding
the Arab role in
"I think the
Arabs ... The Arabian establishment in
the form of Arab Countries and organizations, really they in conniver with the
government all through; Dr. Abdalla Ali Ibrahim (participant in the discussion)
knows and wrote about great expenditure of Arabs countries on Islamic Calls
Organization in Africa, started with Southern Sudan, now in Darfur there are no
organizations, there is no any Arab or Islamic relief organizations in Darfur,
in reality they are not concern for being there; there is interest by western
Christians organization to work in Darfur, that is why when the delegation of
Muslims Clerics Association visited Khartoum and went to Darfur, one of their
recommendations is to strengthen religion .. Religion of Darfrians, as if they
are accusing people of
He continued:
"yeas, Arabs are
greatly and clearly absents, it is really un-interested and ignorance; there is
Arabic ignorance with total Sudan, as it doesn't important issue for them,
particularly with Darfur, thus ignorance with Darfur includes Sudanese at
extreme north, for that there is great interests, or tendency in Arab Countries
and Arabic institutions to accept Sudan government as source of information, or
the criminal himself. Therefore, it is natural when these organizations
arrived, they took.. Bought the Sudanese version of events, we watched when
Arabs Lawyers Union went to
* Dr. Suleiman Beldo,
African Director of International Crises Group (ICG), mentioned in Aljazeera,
how
"I would like to explain that, the popular pressure determination also varied, there are great students movement standing with victims of war in Darfur, migrants Sudanese from Darfur living in different cities of United States, are in this coalition; as I mentioned, also there are Islamic group, n my estimate, present popular movement is not backed completely and totally as this theory may suggests. The theory of Zionism Lobby, but there are other elements that explain it, it is explained by the fast modern media, speed of technology in transmitting photos of events to different places in the world immediately and directly it also explained by some events previous to Darfur, such as mass Genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia, where the world had failed to intervene at right time to prevent it" [26].
About
role of identity in the war, he said:
"I
agreed with brother Afifi, about the identity, in fact what happened in Sudan,
according to the fighting groups, that it is Arabs against groups from African
origins, in fact it is classification or cultural identity that had taken
political nature; while for Khartoum, when the conflict exploded in Darfur, and
military rebellion raised in that region, it was political rebellion aimed at
rejected marginalization of the region as a region; this was adopted by group
that felt marginalized within that marginalization, mostly from African race.
Government replay by mobilizing the identity issue, recruiting militants mostly
from Arab origin; they are the militants which joined the government due to its
reactions to rebellion in 2003/4, from which emerged the classification of that
conflict as Arabs against Africans. The form of government reaction for that
was collective punishment, not only against the rebels who raised arms against
it, but towards all groups which related to it, the big tribes. For that
hundreds of villages were burned, for that reason there are more than two
million Darfurians in displacement camps in the region from where did they
came? They came from secured villages, they are normal people, they were
attacked not for any reason except that they belong to this identity named as
Africans, therefore, if there is anyone to be blame for giving that conflict
polarization nature of Arabism contrary Africanism, it is the government in
Khartoum, because it pursued in militarized this identity in reaction to the
rebellions in Darfur" [26].
Concerning the role Arab media, he said:
"I don’t think Arab
media was lagging in covering these events, the first television Network that
tried to cover events in
* Mr. Alsadiq Almahadi,
Imam of Ansar sect and ex-prim Minister, said in an interview with Aljazeera (
The Failure of Internal Peaceful
Conferences
Regardless of many reconciliation
conferences, between African and Arabs tribes, it didn’t stopped wars, thus
meditations found themselves in continual cycle of conferences [2],
only in the period between1997/90, 12 conferences were held [5],
and some are [2]:
1- Tribal reconciliation conference between Fur and Arab Tribes
(Alfashir April 15 - May 8, 1989).
2- Tribal reconciliation conference between Zagawa and Arab
Tribes (Kotom 1994).
3- Reconciliation and Peaceful Coexistence conference between
Rezigat and Zagawa (Aldaien 1997).
4- Tribal reconciliation conference between Massaliet and Arabs
Tribes (Alginyna, November 18-25, 1996).
5- Comprehensive Security and Coexistence conference for Darfur
States (Nyala December 22-27, 1997).
6- Tribal reconciliation conference and peaceful coexistence
between Massaliet and some Arab Tribes (Gynyna, May 26-June 5, 1999).
When it became clearer that
The main aim of the government was to contain the crises
and to isolate it from linking with SPLM/A calls and agenda, the early
mentioned Nerteti conference at Jebel
Mara On August 2002, and several others, all of them
with agenda and outcomes, were
aimed to force tribal leaders, participants and people of
Darfur to accept state de cu.
Take an example of one
of these conferences, the Great Stats of
Darfur Consultative Leadership Gathering In Elfashir February 2003, (on The
Discussions Of The Subsidiary Committee Guidance).
Where delegates
were asked to confine the discussions in delivering clear, frank and courageous
answers to the following questions:
1-
The information delivered by
the mechanism in its opening secession, and according to its reports indicated
an accusation by a group from Fur tribe and group from Zagawa tribe, about
events in and around Jabal Marra and Krnuiy.. in your estimation:
a.
Is this work, a group work
backed by these tribes?
b.
Is this an individual work,
and what is the percentage of these from involved tribes?
c.
What is the stand of these
tribes from those outlaws?
2-
Why the problem escalated
with assaults? Are the tough reactions of Arabs tribes in retaliations against
Fur assaults do effects in these? And is cruelty caused by the Janjaweed
(Burning, Killing and Looting) developed, transformed and pushed them (Fur and
Zagawa) to change their objectives?
3-
Why Fur leaders and those
armed men tried to internationalize Jabal Marra problem? Are their reasons and
justifications for that?
4-
Why rest of
5-
Is it possible for leaders,
administrative and important figures among Zagawa, Fur and Arabs to initiate a
positive work to stop these running things?
6-
Isn’t duty for this gathering
to condemn what is happening in the Jabal and around Krnuiy and other area?
7-
How could we achieve dreams of our people, for
ambition development projects in
a.
Popular political works only?
b.
Military popular work by
Zagawa and Fur towards their people?
c.
Limited military work, with
political support?
d.
Plain openly, military work?
A lot could
be extracted about the regime idea about
these two tribes, among these, the delegate attention was
diverted from the real issues to how to encounter these tribes even by
their own people! Towards the reactions of Fur tribe and
Zagawa against widespread violations, massacres and
humiliations aimed at dislodging them from their land. These
conferences, as clear from the above agenda were to force delegate giving
the government the mandate to use any military menses to
hit those innocence, who were just defending their tribes, above
all it gives impressions that the Conference was aimed at spaying rather than
solving a problem.
African Union Peace Process
The peace process started at Apache in
Six rounds were held at Abuja in Nigeria, where two Protocols on the (1)
Implementation of the Humanitarian Situation in Darfur and (2) Enhancement of
the Security Situation in Darfur, were both signed in November 9th,
2004, and in the following year the Declaration of Principles (DoP) for the
Resolution of the Sudanese Conflict in Darfur was signed on July 5th,
2005.
During these talks, the Libyans hold several popular meetings, by bringing
Darfurians in Libyan in order to solve the problem, but the failed.
Failure of African Union Peace Process
at
All hopes were directed towards
The talks ended with a group led by Mani Ako Mani signing
the agreement, while two groups led by Ustaz Abdelwheed Mahamad Nur and Dr.
Khalil Ibrahim refused, regardless of great pressures practiced by both
President of Nigeria and the American envoy.
Thus one may
asked, why both above groups refused signing that agreement? To disclose that,
we will look as an example position of SPM/A headed by Ustaz Abdelwheed
Mahamad, prepared by Mr. Abaker Mohamed Abuelbashar, Head of Wealth
Sharing Commission, SLM/A, which could be summarized by the follow:
To expedite the Talks the AU Mediation redesigned the DoP to be
negotiated in three commissions i.e. Power Sharing, Wealth Sharing and Security
Arrangement. Since November 2005, the seventh round of the Peace Talks lasted
five and half (5 ½) months, which ended up with the signature of two parties
and the objection of another two parties (Movements). The reasons of rejection
by the other main effective parties who didn’t sign the Darfur Peace Agreement
(DPA) are that, Mediators concentrated only on Darfur issues without the
centre, while international community did not want any obstruction to the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 9/1/2005 and that matters related to
root causes of the conflict were rejected, others may be summarized by the
followings points [27]:
A- Procedural: Among these are: Unfairness
method in discussion issues such as land and Darfur as a one region, the compiled
document produce by AU, not been discussed, it was forced on the Movements to
sign, the document was presented on 25th April 2006, with an
ultimatum of 5 days to respond and sign it, AU proposed a core team to resolve
the issues of difference, but never been implemented, the Movements requested
time from AU to study the document but it refused.
B- Legal: The document lacked implementation modalities in all
Commissions, implementation mechanisms, general provisions and guarantees. Main
words and phrases such as, Janjaweed, Hawakeer (communal land ownership rights)
and Massaratt (Livestock routes), were not defined.
The Agreement gives GoS (National Congress Party, NCP) absolute power to
rule
C- Technical: Three of nine issues in the
agenda of the Power Sharing Commission were not discussed at all. No solutions
to the root causes, such as;
- Some essential rights of, Individual compensation, duration of the
interim period, control of Movements forces during the interim period, before
the UN Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration programme (
- The implementation of this kind of agreement is the responsibility of
the parties who sign it; therefore the representation of the parties should be
in a fair and just manner. In the DPA the Movements are represented by only 19%
in
- There is no provision in the DPA to allow a UN Peacekeeping Force in
Conclusion
In
Prophet Mohamed (Let peace be upon him) shows
Muslims in two occasions what Islam, meant:
"In one
time he found a thirsty dog, he removed his show and took with it water from a
well and gave it to the dog to drink." in
the second case: "He
said, removal of harm elements from the road is rewarded by God",
which implies that regardless of whoever
may be effected by that element, whether
a Jewish or Christian!
That is the Islam that was known in
In a speech at martyrs Mosque, "he
accused International Humanitarians Organizations working in
An Islamic
leader from
Present
humanity reflected in modern
western societies was achieved after
long process of awareness brought
about by civil society's pressures,
human rights organizations and individuals. These acts
of humanity, had grown through
generations, it reflects the development
of human societies and humanity; it is the development of human values.
The first verses of
Quran were "Read!
In the Name of your Lord Who has created (all that exists). 2. He has created
man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). 3. Read And your Lord is
the Most Generous. 4. Who has taught (the writing) by the pen.
5. Nay! Verily, man does transgress (in disbelief and evil deed)"
(96:1-5), these were the basic teaching of Islam, to acquire
knowledge! All knowledge, not only religion, simply because these
knowledge raises status of humanity, on condition not to do evil deed?
Isn’t what is taken place in
During the Africa famine of 1984/85,
Two International groups of singers, the British
"Band Aid" headed by Paul
Young, and the American was headed by present
UNICEF Goodwill
Ambassador Harry
Belafonte, they brought
great assistance to Ethiopia and Sudan, during Presidency
of Regan, who sent thousands tons of sorghums
to Sudan, it became known as Regan sorghums, people in Darfur and Kordofan
praised Regan at praying asking
God to blessed him with
heaven; that was humanity!
The most painful part of what is
happening in Darfur is that the genocide is taking place in a
slow long process, while the world is watching, as if they lost the human
responsibility and consciousness towards the people of Darfur, and their rights
for free, justice life with dignity.
These are happening in
The
polices followed by the Mister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Lam Akol within the
government of National Unity towards Darfur was what the NCP was up to by
signing the Comprehensive peace Agreement (CPA), he can't pretend lacking
policies papers, as a leader he should formulate it. Gallants SPLA Martyrs lead
by Eng. Bolad down to people like Capt. Cipriano Oliha Afore from
In
contrast to that, His Excellency Deng Alor Kuol,
Minster of the Cabinet Affairs Minister, in
the government of the National Unity, justified
SPLM supports to 1706, that "SPLM
do have moral obligations towards the people
of Darfur", that is why
SPLM supports intervention of International Force to
Darfur.
SPLM/A historical and moral obligations
towards the people of Darfur is so great, this was always felt by its leaders
attitudes, as witness through the continual move by
His Excellency
Left General Salva Kiir Mayardit, the First Vice President of the Republic of
Sudan and President of the Government of Southern Sudan, supporting the United
Nation force intervention in Darfur, it is not an isolated attitude, there is
enormous supports towards Darfur cause in South Sudan, Nuba Mountains and Blue
Nile area.
The arbitrary killings, mass rapping, destructions of
houses and properties; all of which had created urgent demand for intervention of
the International Force to rescue the hopeless situation in
1-
To stop the killing.
2-
To secure life of innocents.
3-
To stop the intense rapes
committed by the Janjaweed.
4-
To create sense of peace.
5-
To disarm the Janjaweed.
6-
To secure return of displaced
and refugees.
7-
To investigate the Absolute
Truth about what had happened in
8-
To establish inter-tribal
dialogues.
9-
To make reconciliation
between African and Arab tribe of
10-
To help creating environment
that my help in laying out development projects for people of
These points are not against Islam, they are supposed to
be achieved by us; as Muslims if we failed to achieve these, it is the
obligation of the International community to help in establishing a better
world for both Africans and Arabs of Darfur.
The above brief is not the final solution for the tragedy
of Darfur, it is only a means to establish the required stability and peace in
the region, then other process may followed intended to established the final
justice permanent peace in the region, with final intention of bring peace in
Darfur, by showing the truth about what had happened without partiality and
from human perspectives towards all people of Darfur, Arabs and Africans.
Finally events in Darfur had created inhuman environment,
the people of Darfur and Sudanese in general deserved brighter and human future
for themselves and the coming generations, the bases of which could only be
achieved through the intervention of the International Force approved by the
Security Council in the its resolution No 1706.
Reference
1- Darfur Wikipedia (Click here).
2-
Tribal
Conflicts in
3- Memorandum No 1, Letter to the Prime Minister by the commissioned committee of the Arab alliance. (Click here)
4-
Secret
memorandum issued by the Arab Alliance to its members in 1988 to Disturb Gov.
of Dr. Tjani Sesi in
5-
Suliman, Mohamad (Author), Al Bander, Salah (Editor),
6- Sudanupdate Reports: People Darfur. (Click here)
7-
Gerard's Prunier,
8-
Recent
discussion in
9-
Discussions with Mr Abakar Mahamad Abulbashar
(Sudany). Head of
Wealth Sharing Commission,
10- Khalid, Dr. Mansor, The True Promise and the False Dawn
11-
The Black
Book, Imbalance of Power and Wealth in
12-
Conversation with Ustaz
Ibrahim Yahya Abdulrhman
ex-governor of
13- A Top Secret, Memorandum issued by the Arab Alliance, by the title of Quraish (Two) [Original Document]. (Click here)
14-
Order by
the Regional Arab
15-
Khalid
Abdalla Hussien Mahamad Ahmad,
16-
Discussion
with Dr Sharif Harrir, Secretary General
of Democratic Federal
17-
Discussion
in
18-
Report of
the Political Committee of Coordinating Council of the Arab Alliance, on
organizational activities in
19- Memorandum by the Information and Political Committee of the Arab Alliance, about establishment of SLM/A. (Click here)
20-
Justice
and Equality Movement (JEM).
(Click here)
21-
All
22- Global Security (Click here).
23- Memorandum by the human rights division of the People of Darfur On December 4, 1999, to both the Chairman of Human Rights Committee in the National Council, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General with copies to Governor of Western Darfur, Governor of Southern Darfur, Governor of Northern Darfur, Sudanese Human Rights Organization and the United Nations Human Rights Observer In Sudan. (Click here)
24-
Memorandum
No1 by 21 Leaders of African Tribes of Darfur On
25-
Mahamad Saleh "Alsharq Alawsat", from
26- From Washington, Hafiz Almarazi, Aljazeera Channel. (Click here)
27- Failure of Darfur Peace Talks in Abuja, Abaker Mohamed Abuelbashar, Head of Wealth Sharing Commission, Sudan Liberation Movement/Army-Abdulwahid, Manchester, United Kingdom, Friday, 30 June 2006. (Click here)
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