Press Release/Commentary by SDEMB posted on November 24, 2004 at 00:29:04: EST (-5 GMT)
DARFUR’S REBELS ASSAULT ON ALTAWEELA TOWN AND KALMA CAMP
Sudan Embassy - US
PRESS RELEASE
November 23, 2004
(Sudan Embassy,WASHINGTON, D.C., 11:23:04)- Encouraged by a free pass and unfair campaign of distortion by the media in the U.S. and Europe against the government, the rebels in Darfur region in west Sudan violated the recent signed security protocol nineteen times, 6 in North Darfur State, 12 in South Darfur State and one in West Darfur. The rebels intensified their campaign of terror specifically since the historic session of the United Nations Security Council in Kenya on November 18th and 19th held to boost the peace process in Sudan.
On Monday, November 22nd, 2004 a rebel group from Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) affiliated to Hassan Turabi People’s Party, stormed Altaweela Town near Alfasher City, killing 30 police officers, 6 civilian including a physician and taking away 7 police trucks and they also attacked Graida region in South Darfur. The African Union monitoring teams were trying without success to persuade them to leave these towns.
Similarly, and almost simultaneously, other rebel elements attacked Kalma internally displaced people camp near Nyala City, killing three police officers including a three-star general and 4 civilians. As a result of that assault, a number of aid workers were rescued from both places. This is the same pattern of tactics adopted by the rebels since February 2003 of targeting the police facilities and personnel that led to a security vacuum in the region.
In his October 2004 report to the Security Council on Sudan, Secretary General Kofi Annan reported similar violations. Paragraph 5 of the report reads: “The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) attacked police posts nine times, killing at least nine policemen. Government forces were ambushed on October 2nd and 12th; On October 6th, 13th and 15th in west Darfur, and on October 17th in North Darfur. In early October, a convoy including two deputy ministers traveling through North Darfur was attacked, leaving one official dead.” The report goes “U.N. vehicles were stopped, radios and personal belongings were taken. Trucks loaded with WFP were stopped by SLA, international NGO vehicles were looted at gun point.” The report also confirms “On October 7th in South Darfur, SLA elements reported looted 50 cattle from nomads.”
The goal to achieve by committing these atrocities was rightly analyzed by Alan J. Kuperman (in the Washington Post Op-ed September 28) when he said “They coldly calculate that the longer they fight and provoke government retaliation against their civilians, the more the international intervention on their behalf will be.” However, the government will avoid falling in this trap and hence serving such sinister designs. Alan J. Kuperman warns in above mentioned article that: “ If the international community pressures only the government side, while giving the rebels a pass, the war will continue.”
These violations represent not only a challenge to the peace making and the well being of innocent civilians but jeopardizes the credibility of those who always rush to condemnation of the government of Sudan. Aljeer IDP relocation which resulted in not a drop of blood triggered a huge outcry and many editorial pushing for military intervention in Sudan. With respect to these flagrant aggression, architects of smear campaign against Sudan are still silent for two days in a row now.
It is quite clear that without serious pressure on these rebels movements, the situation in Darfur will get even worse and the region in Richard Minter’s accounts in his New York Times bestseller “Shadow War” will become another international terrorism battleground infested by dangerous brands of extremists.