Defence Minister: ‘Sudan will not waste time waiting for the rebels’

Sudan’s Minister of Defence, Lt Gen Ahmed Bin Auf, has said that “the state will not waste its time waiting for the rebels and would extend its control over the entire Sudanese soil”. Gen Bin Auf said that “at the same time, the state will secure all agricultural and commercial activities and the movement of citizens in their pursuit of normal economic and social life”.

In a speech at the Forum for Strategic Planning of the Popular Defence Forces in Khartoum on Monday, the minister expressed the “readiness of the armed forces to deter any attacks by the rebels, despite the commitment to abide by the cease-fire”.

Jebel Marra

For several days, Darfur’s Jebel Marra has seen ongoing battles between the Sudan Liberation Movement of the leadership of Abdel Wahid (SLM-AW) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, who are accued of targeting civilians, displacing them, plundering their property, and committing serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

As reported yesterday by Radio Dabanga, the SLM-AW accuse the RSF of setting fire to agricultural fields.

On Sunday, the SLM-AW claimed the killing of 18 RSF troops in an attack led by government forces in the area of Feina.

During a visit during a visit by the governor of North Darfur, Sharif Samouh and himself to Zamzam camp, he commander of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces government militia (RSF), Lt Gen Mohamed Hamdan (also known as Hemeti), vowed to eliminate the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-AW) led by Abdel Wahid Nur in Jebel Marra in three months.

Civilian killed by drunken soldiers

The Human Rights Centre (Hudo) claims that “on November 12, a group of Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers who usually drink alcohol at Rayeh Balak suburb in Ed Damazin in Blue Nile state, and shoot randomly with their guns, shot Jebrayil Mousa (48) in the head which caused his immediate death”.

The Hudo statement alleges that after the incident, the group of soldiers fled to the SAF garrison barracks where they have been protected. “The deceased’s family was intimidated not to take any legal process. The dead body was buried while the perpetrators are moving freely and no action has been taken against them,” the statement says.

Hudo was informed by one of the neighbours of the deceased’s family that, the family was forced by the SAF in Ed Damazin to accept blood money and to keep silent.