Fleeing Malians have no interests to gain in Darfur-officials
28 February, 2013
KHARTOUM, (SUDANOW)—Both Sudanese Government and international official find no proof or suspicion of an alleged arrival or presence in Darfur of Malian groups who fled the war in Mali, as reported by some Western media.
North Darfur Governor Osman Mohamed Yusuf Kibir told SUDANOW that there are no interests the Malians fleeing the French attacks in Mali can find in Darfur, specifically in Kutum Locality. None of those fighters has arrived in Darfur, Kibir said, adding that those are unfounded allegations being circulated the rebel movements.
The Governor advised the movements which alleged that those armed Islamic fighters arrived in Darfur to sit down for negotiations instead of taking up arms. A peaceful resolution for the conflict in Darfur should be sought instead of worsening the situation, he added.
The administrative and executive supervisor for Kutum and Al-Wahah localities, Engineer Mohamed Sadek, said the situation in the two localities is quiet and stable. There is no information on those Malian armed forces, he said, adding that the people there are ding normal life. He explained to SUDANOW that what was is a sheer rumor and that it was not the first time the Darfur rebel spread rumors.
He noted that the costume of the tribal Tuareqs in Mali resembles that of the Darfur civilians due to similarity of the climate in the two regions, a matter which has strengthened the rumor. However, he said this rumor is incredible considering the distance of more than 4000 kilometers and the countries, including Niger and Chad which have forces fighting against the Malian Islamists there, separating Mali from Sudan.
For her part, the spokesperson of the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Dr. Aicha al-Basry, said the presence of Malian groups in Darfur has not yet been verified. “We have heard the information on the presence of those groups from some media reports on some news agencies but until now this has not been confirmed and the UNAMID forces spread all over Darfur region have not verified that presence,” she said.
Some global media have recently reported that armed Islamists from Mali have entered North Darfur (Kutum), as well as West and South Darfur fleeing the French air raids in addition to land attacks by joint French, Malian, Chadian and Niger forces
The leader of the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) faction, Abdul Wahid Nor, asserted that the Islamists who fled the French forces in Mali were seen in Darfur. “We have seen them,” he told AFP on telephone, adding: “After their defeat there, they withdrew and came to Darfur to make Jebel Marra are, which we control, a base for them.”
The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Information and Culture of the Darfur Region Authority, Yagoub al-Damouky, commented that global media and a number of Darfurians spread the allegation of the arrival of Islamists of the Malian Ansar Al-Dinn group and Tawhid and Jihad movement in Darfur in the wake of the French strikes in Mali.
“There is no reliable source that can confirm the presence of those forces in Darfur; it is an evocation by the international media and a number of civilians,” Damouky told SUDANOW.
Considering the gravity of the issue and its impact on the security in Darfur and on the safety of the Darfurian who has suffered a lot from wars, the concerned authorities have to investigate the presence or non-presence of those forces, the regional minister said. It is not difficult to verify the report so as to convince the international community of its falsehood, Damouky said, stressing the urgency of addressing the question in view of its negative impacts on Darfur, in particular, and on the Sudan, in general.
He suggested that UNAMID forces are present in all parts of Darfur and can verify such information and the Mission is trusted by the global media which have evoked and confirmed the presence of those Malian forces in Darfur. UNAMID is a source of trust by the international community of which it is part, the minister said.
He revealed that the Regional Authority has commenced its own verification
And will publish its viewpoint on all means of information, said Damouky, adding that the issue is of concern to the Regional authority in view of its negative repercussions.
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