Sudan wants Sudanese armed forces to replace AU troops in Darfur and calls foreign journalists 'terrorists'

March 2, 2006 Reuters report from Khartoum says Sudan's defence minister expelled foreign media from a news conference on Wednesday and compared them to "terrorists", saying that they had fabricated the three-year-old conflict in Darfur. Excerpt:

"Any foreign correspondent, from any foreign agency, get out -- we don't want you in here," said Defence Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein.

Egypt's al-Ahram newspaper, Arab Al Jazeera television and even Sudanese journalists representing foreign news agencies were forced to leave the room.

All the foreign journalists had been called and invited to the news conference. Hussein also ejected all television crews and refused to allow journalists to use recording devices.

He compared foreign journalists in Sudan to "terrorists" and said: "The international media has escalated the problem ... because they sent incorrect information."

But Hussein warned no matter what the cost, U.N. troops would not be deployed to Darfur.

"Darfur will become the graveyard for the United Nations and foreign intervention," he said.

He added the Sudanese government would provide additional support needed by the African Union force in Darfur. The AU says it has funds only up to the end of March to continue operations.

Hussein also said if the AU could not do the job in Darfur, they should remove their troops to be replaced with the Sudanese armed forces.

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Sudan summons US envoy Cameron Hume on alleged press statement

Sudan's media campaign is intensifying during the run up to outsider decisions on sanctions, UN troops in Darfur and a forthcoming visit from the ICC, due sometime soon. It looks like they are even trying to make a meal out of something that was said about Islam by the US Charge d'Affaires at a private function. See article from Khartoum March 1, 2006 published at Sudan Tribune.