Sudan opposes UN in Darfur because it fears too many of its allies will end up in an international criminal court - Turabi

UN troops are equipped to restore peace in Darfur, a rebel representative said Wednesday. "As far as security is concerned, I think they are the most capable forces," Mohamed al-Tigani Eltayeb, of the SLM, told The Associated Press. "UN forces are already in Sudan everywhere," he added, during a break in talks on reconstruction efforts in Darfur being hosted by the Dutch government in The Hague. "What is the reason for not having them in Darfur?" he asked [as if he doesn't know the answer - read on].

Associated Press reported today that Sudan accuses Jewish groups of pushing for UN troops in Darfur and a leading government opponent [Hassan Turabi] has said the government opposes the UN in Darfur because the UN has vowed to prosecute all those involved in war crimes. "They are afraid of the UN's efficiency. The government fears that too many of its allies will end up in an international criminal court," said Turabi, who is believed to be influential with one of the Darfur rebel groups. Excerpt from above AP/ST report:

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has escalated his rejection of the UN deploying peacekeepers in Darfur, saying they would be neo-colonialists and accusing Jewish organizations of pushing for their deployment.

His comments, made while a joint UN and African Union team is in Sudan to plan for such a deployment, is likely to increase tension with the UN Security Council and provoke an angry response from US legislators.

"This shall never take place," al-Bashir told reporters at a press conference with South African President Thabo Mbeki Tuesday. "These are colonial forces and we will not accept colonial forces coming into the country." "They want to colonize Africa, starting with the first sub-Saharan country to gain its independence. If they want to start colonization in Africa, let them chose a different place," he said.

When journalists pressed al-Bashir on his objection to UN troops in Darfur, he replied: "It is clear that there is a purpose behind the heavy propaganda and media campaigns" for international intervention in Darfur. [Sudan Watch ed: I agree with Mr Bashir here - see previous entry June 21, 2006 "Activists in US rally for war in Darfur" - not to mention propagandists Kristof, Powers, USAID-Garang-SLM-Nur-loving Reeves et al]

"If we return to the last demonstrations in the US, and the groups that organized the demonstrations, we find that they are all Jewish organizations," al-Bashir said.

The president was referring to the rallies held in New York and Philadelphia earlier this year which were addressed by figures such as actor George Clooney and former basketball star Manute Bol, a Sudanese.

The comments were al-Bashir's strongest rejection of a UN peacekeeping role in Darfur. At one point he said he himself would lead the "resistance" to such a force.