Egypt's telecom watchdog to block unregistered spam-call devices Aug. 24    Egypt, Japan sign 12 agreements, LOIs across strategic sectors    Egyptian pound ends Tuesday lower against US dollar – CBE    Egypt to tighten waste rules, cut rice straw fees to curb pollution    Egypt seeks Indian expertise to boost pharmaceutical industry    Egypt's PM heads to Japan for TICAD 9 Africa development summit    National Council for Childhood reviews plan to combat child labour    Egypt's Supreme Organ Transplant Committee strengthens oversight, standards    African agribusiness market expected to reach $1tr by 2030    Serbia's Vucic vows 'tough measures' against protesters after unrest    Zelenskyy seeks US security guarantees as Trump says he can 'end war now'    Israelis protest for hostage deal amid growing pressure on Netanyahu    Egypt's FM, Palestinian PM visit Rafah crossing to review Gaza aid    Egypt prepares unified stance ahead of COP30 in Brazil    Egypt delivers over 30 million health services through public hospitals in H1 2025    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Ex-PM says Sudan rejects UN in Darfur as it seeks to win conflict
Published in Daily News Egypt on 02 - 03 - 2007


Associated Press
CAIRO: The main Sudanese opposition leader says the government is refusing to allow UN peacekeepers in Darfur because it knows the UN troops would help hunt down war crimes suspects for the International Criminal Court.
Former Prime Minister Sadiq Al-Mahdi said Khartoum s other reason for rejecting UN forces was that it still believes it can defeat the Darfur rebels militarily.
In an interview with The Associated Press while visiting Cairo, Al-Mahdi challenged the government s official line in the standoff with the UN Security Council, which is that it supports the May peace accord and that UN forces in Darfur would constitute a colonialist attempt to subjugate the country.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is still waiting for Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir to reply to a Jan. 24 letter that put forward specific proposals for the deployment of 22,000 UN and African Union troops to Darfur, the vast western region of Sudan where more than 200,000 have died and 2.5 million people have fled their homes in four years of fighting.
The Security Council initially ordered the deployment in August.
On Tuesday, the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court accused a minister of state in Al-Bashir s Cabinet, Ahmed Mohammed Harun, of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, saying he paid and recruited militias responsible for murder, rape and torture.
The prosecutor also said the militia concerned, the janjaweed, was armed and financed by the government - a charge Khartoum has always denied.
The government rejected the prosecutor s remarks and reiterated it would not surrender anybody for trial in the ICC.
Al-Mahdi, whose Umma Party traditionally wins the plurality of votes in Sudan s elections, dismissed the sovereignty argument as inapplicable to gross abuse of human rights.
Atrocities have been committed and those who committed them have got to be brought to book, Al-Mahdi said.
Interviewed in his apartment in the Cairo suburb of Nasr City on Sunday, the man who was twice prime minister said his party, were it to return to government, would cooperate with the ICC and would allow the deployment of UN peacekeepers in Darfur.
Al-Mahdi, whose government was toppled in a 1989 military coup led by Al-Bashir, is known to have influence in Darfur. In the 1986 polls - the last to be considered free and fair - Umma Party swept Darfur by a landslide.
He is also the great grandson of the Mahdi, the 19th century nationalist who ousted Egyptian colonial forces under the British general Charles Gordon. Darfur played a major role in that rebellion and many of its tribal elders today revere Sadiq because of his illustrious ancestor.
The government s rejection of the UN peace force is irrational and very insensitive to the humanitarian problem in Darfur, Al-Mahdi said.
Wearing a white woolen hat and the white robes favored by Sudanese men, Al-Mahdi said the government had reasons other than sovereignty for blocking the UN deployment.
The existence of UN troops will make it more possible to police (for) the ICC, he said. He added the janjaweed militia was actually the irregular troops of the government. Al-
Mahdi said the government was also rejecting the UN deployment because they want to keep the military option open.
The chief external spokesman of the Information Ministry in Khartoum denied Al-Mahdi s allegations. Bakri Mulah said the government is not resorting to a military solution and seeks to solve the Darfur problem through negotiations.
"The charge that the government fears UN forces would assist the ICC process is false, Mulah said. The government has nothing to hide, he said, adding it had allowed ICC inspectors to visit Sudan five times even though the country had not ratified the ICC charter.
Al-Mahdi said that for peace to come to Darfur, the Khartoum-appointed governors of the three states of Darfur - North, South and West - had to be replaced because they implemented the counterinsurgency policies that led to the atrocities.
People now believe the present governors have blood on their hands, he said.
He also said peace would require new negotiations, particularly with the groups that did not sign the May accord, and the deployment of UN troops.
Before any more negotiations, we have to get people to keep the peace in Darfur, and that is only possible through UN forces, Al-Mahdi said. The African Union peace mission was completely inadequate.
Earlier this month, Al-Bashir warned that if the world were to deploy UN peacekeepers without Sudan s consent, they would receive the lesson we taught you in the 19th century - a reference to the Mahdi s victory.
Asked what he thought of Al-Bashir exploiting his great grandfather, Al-Mahdi replied it was a gimmick.
There is no comparison between now and the 19th century, he said. The UN here is not contemplating conquering Sudan or conquering Darfur. It s there to help us with containing certain humanitarian problems.


Clic here to read the story from its source.