S. Darfur displaced hand over ‘foreign infiltrator’ to UNAMID

06/03/2013 23:30

Residents of Kalma displaced camp in South Darfur claim to have arrested a “foreign infiltrator” inside the site and handing him over the local UNAMID base on Wednesday. They believed the man was a militant who fled Mali, according to a spokesman for the displaced. However, after being questioned by UNAMID forces, it appeared the camp’s “infiltrator” came originally from Niger. He is said to be a member of that country’s Tuareg tribe and claimed to have entered Sudan via Libya and then Chad. According to the spokesman Hussein Abu Sharati the identity papers the detainee was carrying “inside a bag full of documents” confirmed his nationality allegations. He also disclosed during the questioning to have lost 10.000 francs somewhere in North Darfur. The spokesman told Radio Dabanga the man’s name is Nasser Al Leawa and that he is 26 years old. Al Leawa admitted entering Sudan illegally, but why he went to the Kalma camp remains unclear, the spokesman for the displaced noted. Sharati suggested that in case Al Leawa’s claims that he is not fleeing Mali prove to be true, he must then belong to a “new wave of settlers brought to Darfur by the Sudanese government”. The first reports about the presence of Islamist militants from Mali in Sudan emerged in the beginning of February from several eyewitnesses in Kutum, North Darfur. Darfur rebel groups accused Khartoum of recruiting insurgents to fight in the Darfur war, a claim the government denies. However, in a meeting in Paris with the French foreign minister, his Sudanese counterpart vowed his country was “ready to cooperate” in the fight against Mali fighters if it received information about these groups in Darfur.Photo: aerial view of a Darfur camp for displaced persons (Radio Dabanga file)See also: France and Sudan discuss Mali rebels in Darfur (28 February 2013)

Residents of Kalma displaced camp in South Darfur claim to have arrested a “foreign infiltrator” inside the site and handing him over the local UNAMID base on Wednesday. They believed the man was a militant who fled Mali, according to a spokesman for the displaced.

However, after being questioned by UNAMID forces, it appeared the camp’s “infiltrator” came originally from Niger. He is said to be a member of that country’s Tuareg tribe and claimed to have entered Sudan via Libya and then Chad.

According to the spokesman Hussein Abu Sharati the identity papers the detainee was carrying “inside a bag full of documents” confirmed his nationality allegations. He also disclosed during the questioning to have lost 10.000 francs somewhere in North Darfur.

The spokesman told Radio Dabanga the man’s name is Nasser Al Leawa and that he is 26 years old.

Al Leawa admitted entering Sudan illegally, but why he went to the Kalma camp remains unclear, the spokesman for the displaced noted.

Sharati suggested that in case Al Leawa’s claims that he is not fleeing Mali prove to be true, he must then belong to a “new wave of settlers brought to Darfur by the Sudanese government”.

The first reports about the presence of Islamist militants from Mali in Sudan emerged in the beginning of February from several eyewitnesses in Kutum, North Darfur.

Darfur rebel groups accused Khartoum of recruiting insurgents to fight in the Darfur war, a claim the government denies.

However, in a meeting in Paris with the French foreign minister, his Sudanese counterpart vowed his country was “ready to cooperate” in the fight against Mali fighters if it received information about these groups in Darfur.

Photo: aerial view of a Darfur camp for displaced persons (Radio Dabanga file)

See also: France and Sudan discuss Mali rebels in Darfur (28 February 2013)