Sudan rebels deny child soldiers claim

The rebel Justice and Equality Movement denied that there were minors within their fighting troops or prisoners held by the government, in response to President Omar Al Bashir’s claims.

President Al Bashir claimed that Sudan's forces have released child soldiers who were fighting for the JEM in a battle at Goz Dongor in April. He made the remarks during celebrations in the North Darfur capital last week. He said that the child soldiers would be released to social care homes for rehabilitation.

The spokesman of JEM, Jibril Adam Bilal, has called on the relevant authorities to visit the movement’s sites 'without prior notice, and conduct inspections in order to verify the claims'.

“It is a flagrant violation of all international conventions and norms, that amount to a war crime and a crime against humanity,” Bilal said about the imprisonment of rebel fighters from Goz Dongor in unknown places and under harsh conditions.

The movement has called on the international human rights expert for the UN in Sudan, Aristide Nononsi, the International Committee of the Red Cross and human rights organisations to ask Khartoum to disclose all places where the captured rebel fighters are imprisoned. The JEM wants to know their numbers and names, and to let the expert and competent organisations visit them and assess their situation.

The battle at Goz Dongor in April 2015 has recently been mentioned often by President Al Bashir and the JEM. The rebels reported that 181 of their combatants, captured by the Rapid Support Forces, are being held in a Omdurman prison in a bad health situation.

Libya

Spokesman Bilal further denied that the Justice and Equality Movement participates in the conflict in Libya. “The JEM does not have any military presence in Libya and has no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of Libya.”

The Presidential Council of the Government of National Reconciliation has claimed that foreign armed groups participated in the attack on the oil zone, Hilal Zone, in eastern Libya, which is considered a blatant violation of the national sovereignity.