Rebel spokesman detained in East Darfur

The Sudan Liberation Movement, led by of Abdelwahid En Nur (SLW-AW) reported that government agents detained their military spokesman, Mustafa Tambour, in East Darfur on Friday.

In a statement on Sunday, Mohamed El Nayer, the spokesman for the office of the SLM-AW chairman, said that Tambour and “two of his comrades” were held “on an administrative mission” to El Daein, capital of East Darfur.

El Nayer called on “human rights organisations and those concerned with human rights to pressure the Khartoum regime to treat them in a humanely and decent manner, according to international treaties and conventions”.

Sudan Tribune reported that the SLW-AW office in the USA has urged the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) to seek to guarantee the safety and well being of Tambour “who suffers from a kidney disease”.

The office has also called upon Amnesty International to follow up the dossier of the detained rebels and pressure Khartoum to respect international laws and treaties concerning the treatment of prisoners of war.

The SLM-AW was formed in 2006 after the Darfur Liberation Front, founded by El Nur, Minni Minawi and a Masalit leader, split. The Front was established in 2002 by the three largest non-Arab tribes in response to the increased marginalisation of the region.

Its troops attacked the airport of El Fasher, capital of Darfur, on 25 April 2003. They accused the government of favouring Arabs and oppressing the African communities in the western region.

The Sudanese government reacted by arming Arab tribesmen, most of them being herders, and giving them free reign to attack the African population of Darfur, mostly farmers, who were perceived to be supportive of the rebels.