- From Radio Dabanga:
The Central Reserve Police of Sudan have clashed with the Border Intelligence Guards in South Darfur. According to the Border Intelligence Guards, a mutiny started within the battalion of the Central Reserve Police in Ferduz locality in South Darfur. The Central Reserve Police protested a wave of random arrests of civilians carried out by the Border Intelligence Guards. The protesting battalion was led by its commander Mohammed Al Rakib, the military spokesman told Radio Dabanga. The Central Reserve Police was heading towards the Border Intelligence Guards when an exchange of fire started injuring at least 3 guards. According to an eyewitness, there were tens of cars with mounted rocket launchers involved. After the confrontation turned into fierce fighting, the reserve police deserted quickly the area and went to the camps of the Revolutionary Forces Front (RFF) in the nearby area at Bahr al Arab. The RFF is headed by General Moussa Djadeen who merged with the rebel movement JEM in 2009. The Border Intelligence Guards is a unit of the Sudan Armed Forces. Several former Janjaweed militias were integrated into this unit. The Central Reserve Police are a heavily armed military unit and are often deployed along border areas or to defend the capital Khartoum. They have headquarters near Jebel Aulia, south of Khartoum.
- Death sentences:
This week 18 military personnel of the Sudanese were sentenced to death for desertion, for having refused to obey military orders in Darfur. Their battalion of 250 military personnel had been dispatched to Umboro near Kornoi to carry out a military action, but they refused. 65 of them were finally convicted, including the men on the death row.
- A delegation of opposition parties from South Darfur have requested the SPLM and all opposition parties to boycott the elections in April. The head of the Darfur delegation told Radio Dabanga that they don’t believe that the elections will be free and fair.The lawyer and member of the Communist Party, Adam Sharif, says that the government has not fulfilled its promises. ‘The voters registration was not correct, also the districts are divided in a way that the ruling parties are advanced to win. We discussed all these issues with the government during the Juba-coalition meeting. But the government did not comply with its promises to remove the obstacles. There is still no freedom of information, the Security Act has not been amended and the war in Darfur continues’, he explained to Radio Dabanga. The delegation arrived in Khartoum just hours after the SPLM announced the candidacy of Yasir Arman as presidential candidate.
- Comment by Mohamed Suleiman regarding the SPLM nomination to the presidency of Sudan in the coming Elections:
Yasir Arman is a good person and stood for long time with the causes of marginalized people in Sudan, but he has zero chance to win this elections for many reason. The followings are some of the reasons:
1- Staying in power is a matter of life or death for Albashir and NCP. Losing power, by any means, means NCP leaders will be brought to trials immediately inside Sudan ( even before ICC executes its warrants) to answer for crimes extend from 1989. No one has any chance to win these Elections (in the current conditions) but AlBashir.
2- SPLM has made up its mind to secede with South Sudan as an independent state. It would be a dilemma to have a native Southerner (Kiir, Amum, Maschar, or any one of the prominent SPLM leaders) as a candidate for presidency of the Sudan. If that candidate wins, then as President of Sudan he/she would advocate for unity and having South Sudan in the greater Sudan even if the southerners would continue to be treated as second class citizens. If that candidate loses elections it would be difficult for him/her to advocate for the secession of the South, otherwise he/her would be seen as a sour loser. This move (of nominating Yasir) is seen by many as a way out for SPLM from that dilemma.
3- On December 14th (2009) when SPLM decided not to join the Northern opposition in a protest demonstration and, instead stroke a deal with NCP, now the the N. opposition are showing a cold reception to the news of Yasir candidacy. Moreover, the leaders of all the main Northern opposition parties are entering the race themselves (at least 3 has declared candidacy so far). This move by the N. opposition leaders for sure will weaken any support Yasir may expect from the northern opposition masses.
4- The root cause of the problems of Sudan is that since independence from the British in 1956, Sudan was ruled and controlled by the elites from the three Northern Nile Arab tribes (Gaalin, Shaygiah, and Danagla). Nile North is the only region that has never seen any war, military actions, or destabilization. Many marginalized on the web were repeating thus question at the news of Yasir's candidacy: Is this why 2 million people died in the South and 1/2 million others in Darfur to narrow the presidency race back to be a contest between the same ruling elite, or worse, either to elect AlBashir or his relative?
Symbolism here is very important. Majority of the marginalized people in Sudan has reaped nothing from Sudan but death and destruction. Instead of electing a marginalized -sympathizer, why not a genuine marginalized who has inherited the legacy of oppression and being treated as second class citizen in his/her own country?
I hope no one dismisses this last point as nonsensical. We have all witnessed how America made history and was greeted warmly by the rest of the world when it elected an African American as President of the United States of America.
Once more, Yasir Arman is a fine person. But problems of Sudan are not about an individual.
Mohamed Suleiman
