LJM accused of recruiting young refugees forcefully

Complaints arise from civilians who have fled to Zalingei North Darfur camps

The coordinator of the Zalingei camps in West Darfur accused on Friday the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) of practising forced recruitment in the areas of Lapta and Copalo.He said, “A lot of young people have fled from those areas (Lapta and Copalo) and sought refuge in Zalingei camps to avoid being recruited.”

The camp coordinator spoke of the pressure exerted by people with alleged affiliation to the LJM on the camp residents and appealed to the LJM’s leader Dr Tijani Sese to intervene and stop these practices.

Complaints in North Darfur

Ahmed Atem, camp coordinator of the camps in North Darfur accused the LJM of adopting similar practices in the areas surrounding the camps under his surveillance.

He added that after the signing of the peace agreement between the LJM and the government of Sudan, young people have been recruited to join training camps.

“These movements are taking advantage of the difficult humanitarian conditions prevalent in Darfur and experienced by the young people,” Ahmed Atem told Radio Dabanga.

LJM denies accusation

However, the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) strongly denied the accusations put forth by the camp coordinators in Zalingei and North Darfur.

Ahmed Fadel, spokesperson of the LJM, told Radio Dabanga in an interview, “The accusations are false, alien to truth. This is libel.”

He defended the group by claiming its activities as a revolutionary struggle. “We don’t find the need to recruit youngsters in camps or cities or villages of Darfur because we have an army,” he said.

Ahmed Fadel reassured the youths and the refugees that the Doha peace agreement signed between the LJM and the government is to achieve their aspirations and hopes.

The Doha peace agreement was signed between the government of Sudan and the LJM on July 14. The peace deal has been criticized for leaving out many important resistance groups in Darfur.