Sudanese Defence Minister answers to Parliament on Darfur conflict

The Sudanese Minister of Defence, Awad Bin Auf, has acknowledged difficulties in eliminating the armed movements in South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Darfur.

Speaking in a closed parliamentary session on Wednesday, the Minister said that the internal clashes in Darfur form the biggest threat to national security, and stressed the importance of disarming the tribesmen. He denied the presence of government militias in the conflict-affected western region.

MP Siham Hassan, however, contradicted him about the militias. She accused the government of backing them with sophisticated heavy weapons that are superior to those used by the army. She accused “the Janjaweed” of violating the rights of the Darfuri people, of war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

The MP for Kutum locality in North Darfur called the announcements of the Ministers of Interior Affairs and Defence about the ending of the rebellion in Darfur “not entirely correct. The rebel movements are still present,” he said.

He urged the Sudanese government to set peace and stability as a priority for Darfur. “This requires a political decision from the presidency. Only after a full-fledged peace agreement, the difficult operation of disarming the militiamen in Darfur can be realised.”