Sudan’s Bashir accuses Egypt of supporting Darfur rebel attack
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Sudanese soldiers in North Darfur's Wadi Hawar on Egyptian armoured
vehicles used by the Darfur rebels in their recent attack in Darfur on
23 May 2017 (ST Photo)
May 23, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir
Tuesday has accused Egypt of supporting the armed movements that
recently entered Darfur from Libya and South Sudan.
On Friday, fierce clashes erupted in North and East Darfur between
government forces and the Sudan Liberation Movement - Minni Minnawi
(SLM-MM) and the SLM-Transitional Council, a splinter group from the
SLM-Abdel Wahid.
The government says the rebels entered into the region from Libya and
South Sudan where Khartoum claims they are based, while the armed
movements say the government forces attacked their positions in North
Darfur state.
“The army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have seized Egyptian
armoured vehicles used by the Darfur rebels in their attack last
Friday on the two states,” al-Bashir told a ceremony honouring retired
army officers Tuesday in Khartoum.
He pointed out that the rebel forces came from Libya and South Sudan
aboard Egyptian armoured vehicles.
The Sudanese President added that Egypt refused to support his country
in its long fighting against the insurgency in South Sudan and Darfur,
pointing to Sudan’s support for Egypt during its 1967 and 1973 wars
against Israel.
“We fought in South Sudan for 20 years and Egypt did not provide us
with a single bullet under the pretext that what was happening in
Sudan was an internal affair,” he said.
He stressed that the rebel forces entered Sudan within the framework
of a larger plot, saying that attackers came from Libya and South
Sudan but the army managed to disperse them and destroyed and seized
their armoured vehicles.
Since several months Sudanese officials hint that Egypt supports
Darfur rebel groups hoping to put pressure on Khartoum to stop its
support for the Ethiopian government which constructs a dam on the
Blue Nile. Cairo says the Renaissance Dam will reduce the volume of
water reaching its growing population.
The Sudanese President further mocked neighbouring countries who
support the armed movements, describing the recent fight as “mere
training” not actual military operations for the army.
Al-Bashir’s statements come just hours after his envoy for diplomatic
contact and negotiation for Darfur Amin Hassan Omer hinted to Egypt’s
involvement in the attacks which he said were meant to delay the
permanent lift of U.S. sanctions imposed on Sudan.
On Monday, Facebook pages belonging to the Sudanese army and the
National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) posted photos of
armoured vehicles from the recent clashes in Darfur, claiming they are
Egyptian vehicles.
It also posted maps showing the entry points of the armed movements
from Libya and South Sudan.
The Sudanese government has long accused the Darfur movements of
fighting alongside the forces of the Libyan General Khalifa Hafer,
which is supported by Egypt.
The hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Monday expressed
deep concern over the recent clashes in the region, saying
“Significant progress has been made on the road towards peace and
security in Darfur, and it would be a serious setback to see these
gains jeopardised.”
Meanwhile, Sudan’s Vice President Hassabo Mohamed Abdel-Rahman has
accused unnamed neighbouring countries of supporting the recent attack
of the armed movements in Darfur.
Abdel-Rahman, who addressed student crowd in the River Nile State
Tuesday, accused the armed movements of being hypocrites, saying they
sat at the negotiations table in Germany while they were preparing to
terrorise the innocent people in Darfur.
He praised the victories of the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support
Forces against the rebels, saying the doors of the national dialogue
would remain open for anyone who wants to join the process.
On 12 April 2016, the Sudanese army declared Darfur a region free of
rebellion following the capture of Srounq area, the last SLM-AW led by
Abdel-Wahid al-Nour stronghold in Jebel Marra. However, the army
continued for several months to carry out attacks on rebel pockets in
the mountainous area.
EGYPT DENIES SUPPORTING DARFUR REBELS
In Cairo, the Egyptian foreign ministry has categorically denied in a
statement issued on Tuesday its support for the rebel groups in
Sudan’s Darfur region.
In a statement released on Tuesday Egypt said it respects Sudan’s
sovereignty over its territory and has never intervened to destabilise
the sisterly country of Sudan or harm its people"
The foreign ministry spokesperson further stressed that "Egypt’s
foreign policy is based on respect for international law and the
principles of good neighbourliness and non-aggression, especially when
dealing with countries with which Egypt has special fraternal
relations such as brotherly Sudan".
The Sudanese army has been fighting a group of armed movements in
Darfur since 2003. UN agencies estimate that over 300,000 people were
killed in the conflict and over 2.5 million were displaced.
Doha brokered the Darfur peace negotiations which resulted in the
signing of the DDPD by the Sudanese government and the Liberation and
Justice Movement (LJM) in July 2011. Also, a dissident group from the
Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) joined the DDPD in April 2013.
JEM and SLM-MM have engaged in peace talks with the government under
the auspices of the African Union.
(ST)
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