Justice & Equality Movement Sudan (JEM)

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Albashir commits another massacre in Darfur

23/9/17: JEM strongly condemns the evil attack on the unarmed IDPs of Kalma in Darfur, Friday, September 22nd, 2017. Having failed to secure a propaganda visit to the Camp, Albashir used his militia to surround the IDPs with over 260 armed vehicles and deployed low flying helicopters to terrorise the peaceful protestors.

The protestation of the IDPs and their rejection of the presidential visit are understandable.  After all, the IDPs are there in the first place because of Albashir’s actions, burning down their villages and driving them out of their land.  What is bizarre and utterly inhumane is the response of the authority to the botched visit.  Six IDPs were killed and over 24 injured in the assault.  Needless to say, not a single member of the attackers were injured.  The assault was one-sided and the IDPs engaged in legitimate demonstrations and were “armed” with nothing but leaflets, banners and photos of relatives massacred by the intended visitor.

This massacre comes at a time when GoS is engaged in frenzy campaign to persuade the USA to lift its sanctions against the regime and usher in rehabilitation of Sudan into the international community.   The USA and the world community must take note of this horrendous incident.  Albashir remains as he always was: steeped in war crimes, ethnic cleaning and genocides.  He maintains a security force intent on summary execution and unlawful killings of his citizens and retains official jihad units in every university in the country to this day. Barely a  month passes without a loss of a Darfur university student killed by members of the so-called university jihadists.

It is hard to reflect on the horrific ordeal of Kalma IDPs without a deep sense of disappointment, if not outright shame, about the response of UNAMID to the massacre.  Of course UNAMID did what it is good at: compiling a timid report about the incident, coupled with a declaration that it is “deeply concerned”.  Callously, UNAMID made no effort to protect the IDPs, a mandate that justifies its presence and international financial support in the first place.  Much worse, UNAMID did its best to appease and please the perpetrator, Albashir, by equating him with his victims.  It appealed to both sides, perpetrators and victims alike, attackers and the attacked equally, to exercise self restraint.  No wonder the IDPs of Darfur have long lost faith in UNAMID.

Abdullahi El-Tom
Secretary for Foreign Relations and International Cooperation, JEM