JEM's Ibrahim says his rebels and the Darfur population advise US President Obama to dismiss his envoy to Sudan Scott Gration

One would be hard pressed to find evidence of JEM and its leader Khalil Ibrahim genuinely caring about the women and children of Sudan. All they seem to care about is saving their own faces and deluded power crazy ideas. 

Babies born six years ago in Sudan are still facing a very bleak future all because of a handful of opportunistic criminals such as Khalil Ibrahim terrorising and draining millions of people's lives, time and energy.  Why isn't the ICC charging Ibrahim and his gang of terrorists, I wonder.  

Surely, US special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration is wise to suggest that US sanctions on Sudan ought to be lifted.  As stated here many times before, I reckon they should have been lifted years ago in order to help war torn Sudan get back on its feet and out of debt. Despite all the odds against it, Sudan has not become a failed state and deserves all the help it can get from China and Russia and other supporters that I hope includes the UK.

Click on label here below to read the memorable story of Baby Mogo who (if still alive) should by now be approaching his fifth birthday. When I first read and published the story here at Sudan Watch almost four years ago, I never imagined for one moment that four years later, Darfur rebels and activists would be working together to stop US sanctions on Sudan from being lifted. 

How can southern and western Sudan develop infrastructure and create jobs while US sanctions are blocking Sudan from developing?  See next blog post here at Sudan Watch: Darfur Sudan activists' reactions to US Gration's statements (Enough Project, Jerry Fowler, Eric Reeves).

From Asharq Al-Awsat by Mustapha Sirri, Thursay 06 August 2009:
Sudan: JEM Leader Blasts U.S. Envoy Over Report

(Amsterdam, Asharq Al-Awsat) - Dr. Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement [JEM] in Darfur, launched a scathing verbal attack on Scott Gretion, US Special Envoy to Sudan, over the report that he presented to the US Congress's Foreign Relations Committee last week. Ibrahim described Gretion as naive and said that he works as the foreign minister of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Ibrahim threatened to discontinue cooperation with Gretion if the latter continues his policies, which, he said, are supportive of Khartoum against the Darfur population.

Ibrahim called on Washington to change its envoy and appoint a more competent one in his place. On the other hand, he called on the displaced people and refugees to organize demonstrations to express their rejection of Gretion's statements.

Speaking with Asharq Al-Awsat from Darfur by telephone, Ibrahim said that his movement and the Darfur population are unhappy with Gretion's report to the US Congress's Foreign Relations Committee last week in which he called for easing the sanctions on Khartoum. Ibrahim added that Gretion's report harms the sidelined ones, the Sudan issue in Darfur, and the peace agreement in the south.

He said: "He is a naive man, and he is in a hurry to reach conclusions. He takes his information from one party, the government of Al-Bashir. After presenting this report, he is now considered the foreign minister of Al-Bashir, not a representative of US President Barack Obama."

Ibrahim said Gretion's statement that there is no intelligence evidence of Sudan's connection with terrorism is false. He added that the Khartoum government attempted to bring in terrorists by way of tribes that refused this move. He continued: "Khartoum currently gives weapons to the terrorists in Somalia, and this is a known fact."

Ibrahim threatened to stop cooperation and communication with Gretion. He said: "If Gretion continues his policies against the sidelined ones and the Darfur population, we will not cooperate with him. We will not meet with him in the future if he continues to be biased toward Khartoum."

Ibrahim said that Gretion implements the Sudanese Government's plans, not his country's policies. He added that Gretion lacks a policy and works to destroy the Darfur issue by inviting the persons whom he considers movements.

Ibrahim said: "From our observation of the man, he works to liquidate the Darfur issue in favor of Al-Bashir and the criminals in Khartoum because he began his initiatives with the regime's proposal for a cease-fire. He announced it before meeting with us."

Ibrahim said the US envoy does not seek peace but wants to consolidate Al-Bashir's rule through forged elections in the absence of the JEM and the Darfur population. He added that the US envoy attempts to move Al-Bashir away from the International Criminal Court. He noted that Gretion failed to pressure the Sudanese Government to implement the Doha agreement, which it signed with the JEM in February.

Ibrahim said that Gretion contradicts Obama regarding the genocide in Darfur. He added that Obama openly spoke about the existence of genocide in his speech before the Ghanaian Parliament in May, but Gretion defends the Al-Bashir regime and explicitly contradicts Obama's statement.

Ibrahim said that his movement and the Darfur population advise US President Barack Obama to dismiss his envoy, Scott Gretion, and appoint a more competent one who is familiar with the nature of the issue.

Why Sudanese and Chadian rebel group leaders such as JEM's Khalil Ibrahim are free to talk to all and sundry, while travelling here there and everywhere without fear of arrest, while holding Sudan and millions of Sudanese people to ransom, is beyond my comprehension.