Darfur Bar Association welcomes Troika statement

The Darfur Bar Association (DBA) has welcomed the comments of the Sudan Troika (the USA, UK, and Norway) concerning the current fighting between Sudanese government forces and rebel combatants of the Sudan Liberation Movement under the leadership of Abdelwahid El Nur (SLM-AW) in Darfur’s Jebel Marra.

In a statement on Sunday, the DBA lauds the Troika countries’ demands to allow aid organisations to deliver humanitarian assistance to those affected by the attacks in Jebel Marra.

The Darfur lawyers strongly denounce “the repeated refusal of the regime [in Khartoum] to grant Unamid, the UN, and other agencies working in the field of humanitarian assistance access to the conflict areas in Darfur and to help those affected by the conflict”, and call for “an immediate halt of the war”.

The DBA also deplores “the negligence of the conflict parties to the plight of the people of Darfur.

They as well express their appreciation for the financial support “shouldered by the Troika countries as regards the Darfur crisis and other crises around the world.

“Since the eruption of the armed conflict in Darfur in 2003, the Troika countries have continued to support the just demands of the people of Darfur, and shouldered the largest share of support to those affected by the war in the region. This support has received wider societal appreciation in Darfur and will to be remembered by generations to come,” the DBA states.

Violence

The DBA further wants to draw the attention of the Troika countries to the tribal violence they mentioned in their statement.

“The truth is that violence is widely practised by just one group: the affiliates of the regime in Khartoum. This violence is practised against those tribal groups classified by the Sudanese government as non-affiliates,” the statement reads. “This point needs to be carefully heeded by the Troika countries.”

According to the Darfur lawyers, “a sustainable solution to the Darfur crisis and the just fulfilment of the demands of the people of Darfur can only be materialised by the restoration of the constitutional life and the establishment of equal citizenship in Sudan”.

Pointing to the disarmament campaign launched by the Sudanese government last year and carried out by the Rapid Support Forces, Sudan’s main militia, and claims by officials that Darfur has become secure, the DBA states that “Violence never ended in Darfur, simply because the weapons collection campaign was implemented by the regime itself, while the regime is an active party in the ongoing conflict in the region.

“This attitude has legalised violence and the impunity of these criminals,” the Darfur lawyers say.

They give a number of examples of recent violent incidents concerning displaced in the region, including attacks on the Khamsa Dagayig camp and Aradeiba camp for the displaced in Central Darfur last month, and numerous assaults on displaced who decided to return to their places of origin.

The DBA was established in 1996. Its main objective is "the restoration of the legislative identity of the country".