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Widening Split Hits Darfur Rebel Group
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Some
200 rebels are said to have defected from
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By
Khaled Mohammad Ali, IOL Correspondent
CAIRO,
August 11 (IslamOnline.net) – A widening split is said to have hit
the ranks of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), one of the two rebel
groups that have been fighting government forces since February 2003
in the troubled Darfur region, west of Sudan.
The
cleave has pushed to the group’s highest levels with its two leaders
engaging in a war of words over the rebels’ agenda in dealing with
the
Darfur
crisis.
Deputy
leader Adam Al-Nour asserted in a recent meeting with Egyptian
intellectuals and journalists at the Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate
that the group’s no. one Abdul Wahid Mohammad Nour’s actions paved
the way for colonialism and destruction of
Sudan
.
His
stern warnings and sharp criticism came in response to a statement by
Abdul Wahid, in which he disqualified Adam and asserted that he did
not speak for the movement.
Abdul
Wahid further said foreign intervention is the only way out of the
current limbo in
Darfur
.
He
disowned Adam in a statement, a copy of which was obtained by
IslamOnline.net, rejecting the remarks made by him during his visit to
Cairo on August 8.
“This
man is known for his affiliations to Al-Uma Party and is a mouthpiece
for the ruling regime in
Sudan
,” the statement read.
The
UNSC threatened
Sudan
Friday, July 31, with punitive measures if it failed to rein in the
Arab militias within one month.
The
United Nations has labeled the 16-month-old conflict as the world's
worst current humanitarian crisis, amid mixed reports putting the
number of people killed at 10,000 to 50,000 and over one million
reportedly forced to flee their homes.
But
Dr. Hussein Gezairy, Regional Director of World Health
Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Region, told IslamOnline.net
Thursday, July 29, that the situation in the restive area did
not amount to genocide or ethnic cleansing as claimed.
Launching
Pad
Adam
said Abdul Wahid wants to make
Darfur
a “launching pad” for a
US
intervention in
Sudan
to divide it and pit its people against each other.
Asserting
the importance of
Sudan
’s territorial integrity, Adam said he and his followers would not
allow the American and British troops to enter
Darfur
under "ridiculous" excuses of genocide and ethnic cleansing.
“If
[Abdul Wahid] Nour stuck to his statement, then we declare war against
him and are supported by a broad section of the Darfuris, who totally
rebuff his westernized viewpoints,” Adam said.
“In
doing so, he paves the way for the occupation of
Sudan
and hands the country on a plate, crushing any political and peaceful
solution to the crisis,” he warned.
Adam
also said the Janjaweed are nothing but “rebellious and criminal
gangs who broke ranks with Arab tribes with whom we have strong
ties”.
Press
reports said Saturday, August 7, that more than 200 members of the
second rebel group in
Darfur
, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), have defected
and joined government forces.
Arab
states have rallied
around
Sudan
in its bid to avoid United Nations sanctions over the humanitarian
crisis in the
Darfur
region, calling for an extension to a UN-imposed deadline of 30 days
to resolve the crisis.
Influential
leaders of the
US
evangelical organizations had signed a letter asking President George
W. Bush Wednesday to consider a
military action against
Sudan
.
On
August 2, British daily The Guardian reported that British Prime
Minister Tony Blair is making the case for a “colonial
war” against Sudan because of its growing oil reserves, as
there are no signs of highly-touted claims of genocide in the Arab
country.
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