Darfur tribal leaders agree with Sudanese Sheikh Musa Hilal to lead initiative to stop war in Sudan

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: As soon as I saw this report it jumped out of my screen. Over the last year I've been on the lookout for news of Sheikh Musa Hilal because he has the skills and experience to stop war in Sudan.

In the Janjaweed, Hemeti a 3rd grade school dropout and camel herder humiliated Hilal by getting him and sons handcuffed and jailed. Hemeti is trembling in his flip-flops knowing Sheikh Hilal of North Darfur is back.

Reading between the lines of the report, Sheikh Hilal has not been on the side of Hemeti. Sheikh Hilal has attracted Darfur tribal leaders to lead a national initiative to stop war in Sudan. Now there is hope for Sudan.

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Report from Radio Dabanga Arabic website

Dated Wednesday, 14 Feb 2024, 17:20 - full copy, translated from Arabic:

Darfur tribal leaders agree with Musa Hilal to lead initiative to stop war in Sudan

Musa Hilal (Archive)

(Nyala) - A civil delegation of tribal leaders in Darfur states announced that it has agreed with the head of the Revolutionary Awakening Council, Sheikh Musa Hilal, to lead a national initiative to stop the war between the army and the Rapid Support.

The delegation, which included the principals of the tribes of Tarjum, Fallata and Rizeigat and notables of a number of tribes in the states of South, East, Central and West Darfur, visited Sheikh Musa Hilal in the suburb of Mistriha in North Darfur state, and the delegation spent about a week during which he held several meetings with notables of the region.

The head of the committee, Mohamed Yaqoub, told Radio Dabanga that the visit to Damra Sheikh Musa was for the purpose of searching for ways to bring peace to Sudan, and pointed out that it was agreed to form a mechanism headed by Musa Hilal to meet with all the parties to the war and tribal leaders in Sudan, and pointed out that what is happening now of alerts is a danger to the country and must be stopped.

For his part, a member of the delegation, the director of the Fallata tribe, Mohammed Al-Fateh Al-Sammani, told Dabanga Radio that the visit was for the purpose of coordination and reflection on the crisis in the country and the search for visions to get the country out of this predicament, and pointed out that a committee led by Sheikh Musa Hilal was formed to conduct internal reconciliations between the tribes of Darfur as well as communicate with the parties to the conflict to lead the project to stop the war in Sudan. Al-Samani stated that the native administration in the Darfur region united around the project to stop the war in Sudan, and appealed to the parties to the  War to support this mechanism under the leadership of Sheikh Musa Hilal in order to put an end to this war and reach internal peace.

Radio Dabanga contacted the spokesman for the Revolutionary Awakening Council to comment on the agreement on the leadership of the head of the council for the national initiative to stop the war between the army and the Rapid Support, but said that the council will discuss this matter at its meeting on Thursday and then make statements about it.

View original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/ar/all-news/article/زعماء-قبائل-بدارفور-يتفقون-مع-موسى-هلا

Related

Sudan Watch - October 06, 2023

Sudan: Chief of Arab Rizeigat Mahameed clan to mediate between warring tribes in South Darfur

“Sheikh Musa Hilal will lead the initiative as head of the council and native administration* leader, along with other native administration notables and community figures from Darfur and some other states of Sudan”. A Revolutionary Awakening Council spokesperson said that “the root causes of the clashes need to be defined and addressed, to stop them forever”.

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2023/10/sudan-chief-of-arab-rizeigat-mahameed.html

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Sudan Watch - August 11, 2023

Sudanese Warlord Sheikh Musa Hilal of North Darfur: Lynchpin of Arab Janjaweed Militia Recruitment

Sheikh Hilal is a respected Arab tribal leader and old time warrior who rules over large swathes of Sudan using benevolence. He commands a huge loyal following. If news of his return to the battlefield is true, and I hope it is, Hemeti (if he's alive) will have sleepless nights and tremble in his flip-flops at the thought of Hilal seeking revenge while fighting onside with SAF. 

If the news is true, in my view, it is a big game changer. Can't wait to find out more and what kind of deal SAF made with Warlord Hilal to induce him to side with SAF like he did when Sudan was led by President Bashir.

Musa Hilal is featured in the first blog post here at Sudan Watch. In the archives there were many great photos of him in full Arab regalia riding magnificent championship quality horses. Sadly, the photos were among 3,000+ Flickr deleted overnight, without warning, from this site's paid Flickr account. I helplessly watched in horror as each photo and thousands of hours of my work evaporated. Someone wanted them gone. 

Here is the first photo of Hilal published online. It is from the BBC captioned "The rebels started the war - Musa Hilal". The report dated 14 Nov 2004 entitled "Janjweed 'leader' denies genocide" is still online.

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2023/08/sudanese-warlord-sheikh-musa-hilal-of.html . . .

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Scroll down to see a copy of an article from and by Radio Dabanga.org

Dated 27 November 2017 - MISTERIYA / KHARTOUM

Musa Hilal, Revolutionary Awakening Council leadership arrested in Darfur

Musa Hilal, former janjaweed leader and chairman of the Revolutionary Awakening Council, as well as his sons, brothers, entourage, and senior members of the Council’s leadership, were arrested on Sunday and arrived today in Khartoum. … The official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) reports that the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemeti), has affirmed that Hilal was arrested on Sunday at Misteriya area, North Darfur. Gen. Hemeti, says that Musa Hilal was “involved in a plot against Sudan which has external dimensions”.

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2023/08/sudanese-warlord-sheikh-musa-hilal-of.html

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END 

Sudan: Chief of Arab Rizeigat Mahameed clan to mediate between warring tribes in South Darfur

“Sheikh Musa Hilal will lead the initiative as head of the council and native administration* leader, along with other native administration notables and community figures from Darfur and some other states of Sudan”. A Revolutionary Awakening Council spokesperson said that “the root causes of the clashes need to be defined and addressed, to stop them forever”.

Read more in this report from Radio Dabanga - dabangasudan.org/en
Dated 29 September 2023, 13:17 MISTERIYA - here is a full copy:

Musa Hilal to mediate between warring tribes in South Darfur

Musa Hilal (File photo)

Mahameed clan chief and former Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal yesterday announced a reconciliation initiative between the Beni Halba and Salamat tribes that have been fighting each other for nearly two months.

In early August, clashes broke out between Beni Halba and Salamat tribesmen in South Darfur’s Kubum. Several efforts to reconcile the cattle herders failed so far.

Both tribes are ‘Arab’ cattle herders. The stronghold (dar) of the Beni Halba lies in Ed El Fursan. The Salamat settled in Um Dukhun more than two decades ago.

Musa Hilal, chief of the Arab Rizeigat Mahameed clan, former janjaweed leader, and head of the Revolutionary Awakening Council (RAC), yesterday announced a reconciliation initiative to put an end to the fighting that has left hundreds of tribesmen dead.

RAC spokesperson Ahmed Abakar told Radio Dabanga that “Sheikh Musa Hilal will lead the initiative as head of the council and native administration* leader, along with other native administration notables and community figures from Darfur and some other states of Sudan”.

He said that “the root causes of the clashes need to be defined and addressed, to stop them forever”.

The spokesperson added that the war “now taking place in Khartoum and some states is political, not tribal,” and called on the Sudanese “to not take it as an entry point for hate speech, tribalism, racism, and social segregation”.

* The Native Administration was instituted by British colonial authorities seeking a pragmatic system of governance that allowed for effective control with limited investment and oversight by the state. The state-appointed tribal leaders were also responsible for executing policies, collecting taxes, and mobilising labour on behalf of the central government. According to the Darfur Bar Association (DBA), the Native Administration during the 30-year rule of dictator Omar Al Bashir did not represent the real community leaders.

View original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/musa-hilal-to-mediate-between-warring-tribes-in-south-darfur

[Ends]

Sudan: Minawi is in Fasher, Darfur, redeploys troops

NOTE from Sudan Watch Ed: I wrote about this today but deleted. Not sure how I can keep this up. Bad guys are depressing. Amazed Minawi's still alive.

Report from Radio Dabanga

Dated Tuesday 09 May 2023

Darfur update: Minawi is back in El Fasher and redeploys troops, cautious calm in Nyala

EL FASHER / NYALA – May 9, 2023

Governor of the Darfur Region Minni Minawi arrived back in Darfur yesterday [Mon May 8] after failed negotiations and redeployed his troops in the region. In South Darfur capital Nyala, residents have fled to Southern neighbourhoods amidst rumours of imminent attacks. Yet, the situation remains cautiously calm for now.

The Darfur region authorities said in a press statement yesterday that Minawi left the capital for El Fasher yesterday, despite the critical security conditions, after efforts to stop the war and alleviate the difficult humanitarian situation in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities failed.

Minawi is also the leader of a Sudan Liberation Movement breakaway faction (SLM-MM), who signed the Juba Peace Agreement (JPA) alongside other rebel movements, and a member of the FFC-Democratic Block, a split-off faction of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) that contains many former rebel movement leaders.

According to the statement, Minawi “sought with his comrades of the Juba Peace Agreement Block to stop the absurd war and to invite the warring parties to meet for an intra-Sudanese dialogue to resolve all national issues peacefully through dialogue, but the conditions in the country prevented that”.

In a press conference after his arrival in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, Minawi said: “I do not support either of the two parties to the conflict.” “Our good offices in the Peace [JPA] and Democratic Blocks will continue to attempt to stop the damned war in the country”.

Minawi’s troops in Darfur

Various Sudanese news outlets just reported that Minawi ordered his troops to Darfur without saying where exactly or why.

Minawi’s SLM forces have a military presence in the Sudanese capital according to an October 2020 peace agreement with the government and have so far taken a neutral position in the conflict between the RSF and SAF.

The 300 heavily armed military vehicles that Minawi took with him to Darfur had been stationed in northern Omdurman “to protect the SLM-MM leaders” after signing the peace agreement.

The redeployment of Minawi’s forces in Darfur comes at a time of fears of intercommunal clashes and of a revival of the tribal and political tensions that underpinned the Darfur civil war and led to [alleged] genocide.

Cautious calm in Nyala

The capital of South Darfur is witnessing a cautious calm, although sounds of gunfire from light and medium weapons continue from time to time for unknown reasons, Radio Dabanga’s correspondent reported from the city.

Clashes between the RSF and SAF broke out in Nyala over the weekend.

“The sounds of ammunition have become an obsession for the people, especially women and children,” the correspondent said. Some sources suggested that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) sometimes shoot from the fortifications they have set up in the city.

Many residents of Nyala, especially from the northern parts of the city, left their homes to seek safety in the southern neighbourhoods in the past two days after rumours of imminent battles. Other families left Nyala altogether and sought refuge in the areas of El Salam, Ed El Fursan, Rahed El Bardi, Buram, and Gereida.

“The markets in Nyala are clearly affected by the violence as a large number of merchants closed their shops out of fear of the thefts and looting that accompany the battles between army soldiers and elements of the RSF,” especially in Darfur.

Nyala has witnessed significant looting since clashes between the RSF and SAF started. Local residents formed popular initiatives to secure their neighbourhoods, including barricading the streets.

Residents have reported that militia gangs are looting and mugging residents whilst staying in RSF camps and enjoying their protection.

Doctor Selma Takana, the representative of the director of the South Darfur branch of the National Health Insurance Fund, reported that 16 of the fund’s vehicles were stolen. Three health centres inside the university, the radiology department, and laboratories were severely damaged.

The Yashfeen Diagnostic Complex was also plundered and most of its medicines were stolen.

Shortages

The prices of consumer goods in the city are steadily rising, day after day.

“The prices are rapidly rising because of scarcity as there are no more lorries coming from Khartoum with supplies. The people also suffer from a great lack of liquidity because the banks are closed, which exacerbates the living crisis day after day,” the correspondent explained.

The South Darfur Community Initiative is making continuous efforts to bring in a commercial convoy that has been stuck between Nyala and El Fasher since the outbreak of the war on April 15.

The Initiative is seeking sufficient guarantees from both the army and the RSF to safely open the banks and normalise life again in Nyala, which is the largest commercial hub in the west of the country.

Despite the lack of cash and scarcity of goods, South Darfur is managing to keep some of its health services running.

The South Darfur Health Ministry announced that the medicines currently still available can cover the state’s needs for a month.

Director of the Ministry Rehab Fatehelrahman said in a briefing to the state’s Humanitarian Situation Committee, headed by West Darfur Governor Hamid El Tijani Hanoun, that the work in the Nyala Teaching Hospital, the Specialists Hospital, the Turkish Hospital, the Italian Hospital, the Police Hospital, and the Medical Corps has continued since the beginning of the war.

She also confirmed that efforts are being made to deliver quantities of medicine to Nyala that got stuck on the way.

Doctor Takana confirmed the stability of work in most of the National Health Insurance Fund centres in the 21 localities of South Darfur and reassured the state committee that there are medicines available to the National Health Insurance Fund that will contribute to covering the shortages in the hospitals. 

The health insurance centres, however, suffer from management problems. The salaries of the staff have been delayed.

Takana further said that activists in the neighbourhoods are exerting efforts to operate the El Wadi and the El Sad El Ali health centres.

El Fasher robbery

El Fasher also witness looting and theft and precarious healthcare conditions.

Passengers of a transport vehicle were subjected to an armed robbery in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on Sunday evening.

One of the passengers told Radio Dabanga that the gunmen fired in the air and forced the passengers to get out of the car at gunpoint before robbing them of their belongings and stealing the vehicle’s fuel.

A number of residents have called on the North Darfur government and the Mediation Committee of Elders to intervene and resolve the deteriorating security situation in the city since the beginning of the fighting between the army and the RSF in the country.

The residents of El Fasher also suffer from frequent and long power outages, one of them told Radio Dabanga. “The electric current is cut off from six in the morning with a fluctuating return at night. This crisis will worsen in the coming days because of the lack of fuel trucks to feed the electricity generators”.

He added that the continuous power outages greatly affect the performance of hospitals and health centres and other important sectors in the city.

View original: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/darfur-update-minawi-back-in-el-fasher-cautious-calm-in-nyala-theft-continues