‘Sudan’s armed forces stand above the law’: analyst

According to the Sudanese Minister of Defence, Awad Mohamed Ibn Auf, the recent army attack on the town of Nierteti should be considered as a criminal case. Analyst Dr Suleiman Baldo denies his claim.
Last week, the Minister told reporters in Khartoum last week that the attack by the military on South Darfur’s Nierteti on 1 January should not be considered part of a government policy, but should be taken up as any other criminal case.
Dr Suleiman Baldo contradicted El Nur’s words in an interview with Radio Dabanga to be broadcast today. The internationally acclaimed political analyst and expert on conflict resolution in Africa explained that the Defence Minister by calling the Nierteti incident a criminal case, “attempted to transfer the responsibility of the armed forces in their attack on civilians in Nierteti to the police”.
He noted that the Sudanese armed forces have gained full impunity. “The military leaders have given their staff full mandate to attack civilians, especially the militias that operate under the command of the armed forces.”
On Sunday, a group of militiamen driving a Land Cruiser entered the Jebel district in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, and burned the remainder of the house of Malik Abdelrahman Khamis.
Khamis was killed inside his house on Thursday, during a gunfight between policemen, security forces, and militiamen that led to the death of seven people. Many others sustained injuries.