‘Use Shoot to Kill principle to end rebellion’: Sudanese security committee

The Chairman of the Security and Defence subcommittee in the Sudanese parliament has called for adhering to the military principle of ‘Shoot to kill’ against the armed rebel movements in Sudan, to end their insurgency, and seems to be criticising the government-backed militias in Darfur and other areas.

Chairman Ahmed Imam El Tuhami lambasted rebels in the country during a meeting in Khartoum on Wednesday, warning that a weakened resolution for the insurgency will push people to leave the country. The military principle of ‘Shoot to kill’ is used in the United States and Europe, he claimed, when faced with similar situations. “Unless the rebellion is finished for good in the near future then we will pack our bags and leave this country to them,” El Tuhami said.

It seems that the outcome of the deliberations will lead to an attempt of Sudan to regain control over the government-supported militias, which have been heavily criticised over the crimes they have committed against civilians in Darfur. Member of Parliament Lt. Col. Adam Hamid Musa said that the deteriorating economic conditions of the armed forces and the unwillingness of young people to get recruited have prompted the government to use the militias in Sudan, to deter the conflict and fighting in Darfur. Musa, also head of the council of states, stressed that the use of the militias comes at a high cost.

The military arsenal that specific tribes own is larger than that of the state, MP Ismail Mohamed Yousif claimed. He referred to the Arab tribes in Darfur and Kordofan. He demanded disarmament of all tribes and that tribal reconciliations should not be left for the state governors to implement.

In May, Sudan's ruling NCP announced, in a way to address the Rizeigat and Ma’aliya clashes, an emergency plan that included the voluntarily disarmament of the warring two tribes.

The most recent serious fighting between armed rebels and government forces took place in Tullus and surrounding localities in April, with both sides claiming to have inflicted heavy losses on each other. But the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) officially acknowledged that its combatants were defeated in the battle of En Nakhara in Dimsu locality on 26 April. The Sudan Liberation Movement of Abdel Wahid El Nur (SLM-AW) continues to fight the Sudanese army in Darfur's East Jebel Marra.