Showing posts with label Gibril Ibrahim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gibril Ibrahim. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 07, 2024

Sudan: JEM leader says his forces prepare to fight RSF

Report at Sudan Tribune
Dated Monday, 5 February 2024 - here is a copy in full:

JEM leader says his forces prepare to fight RSF

Gibril Ibrahim greets his supporters after his return to Khartoum on November 15, 2020


February 5, 2024 (PORT SUDAN)  Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim, head of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), strongly criticized the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and disclosed that his forces are preparing to wage war against them in Al-Jazirah state.


Speaking at a rally in Port Sudan, Ibrahim condemned the RSF’s attacks and accused them of pursuing a destructive agenda that threatens the entire nation. He rejected their claims of supporting democracy, characterizing them as a force intent on harming the people.


By attacking the central Sudan state “The RSF’s actions expose their true intentions,” Ibrahim declared. “Their project is not aligned with democracy or any other noble slogan.”


The JEM leader’s statement comes amid general mobilization by the army to retake several states from the paramilitary forces. The army leaders said their campaign would start by Al-Jazirah which the RSF seized in mid-December 2023.


Ibrahim, along with Minni Arko Minawi of the Sudan Liberation Movement, decided to abandon neutrality and join the army in this conflict.


He expressed his belief that the situation in Sudan is unique and has been influenced by international and regional actors. He further characterized the situation as incompatible with the nature of the Sudanese people.


“This situation is unprecedented, orchestrated by regional and global powers,” he asserted. “It represents a perversion of the true character of the Sudanese people,” he said referring to the war crimes and systematic looting practiced by the RSF elements.


Ibrahim went further, declaring the JEM’s commitment to actively opposing the RSF. “We will be at the forefront of liberating Madani,” he vowed, referring to the state capital. “The JEM is preparing for this moment,” he further unveiled.


His words align with reports of mobilization by armed movements in Darfur, including forces led by Minawi and Mustafa Tambour, who reportedly would participate in the under-preparation offensive against the RSF. (ST)


View original: https://sudantribune.com/article282018/


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Friday, November 17, 2023

Sudan: Darfur rebels JEM & SLM join SAF against RSF

Report from BBC News

By James Copnall & Danai Nesta Kupemba

Dated Friday, 17 November 2023 - here is a copy in full:


Sudan civil war: Darfur's Jem rebels join army fight against RSF

IMAGE SOURCE, AFP  Image caption, 
The Sudanese army has lost control of key bases in the last few weeks

Two rebel groups from Sudan's Darfur region say they will fight alongside the army in the country's civil war.


This comes after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) made major gains in Darfur, where it has been accused of ethnic cleansing.


Rebel leader Gibril Ibrahim told BBC Newsday they "want to defend their civilians" from the RSF, which he says has been burying people alive.


He said the decision to join forces with the army was not an easy one.


The leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem) said it had taken seven months to come to an agreement.


The relationship between Jem and the Sudanese army is fraught. Mr Ibrahim's brother was killed by the army, who was previously the group's leader.


Jem and the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM) took up arms in Darfur in 2003, accusing the government of marginalising the region's black African communities.


The government then mobilised Arab militias against them, leading to what has been described as the 21st Century's first genocide.


These militias have since transformed into the RSF, which has been fighting the army for control of the country since April.


The RSF has taken several key towns in Darfur in recent weeks, including the country's second biggest city, Nyala.


Last week, there were reports they had massacred hundreds of people in the West Darfur capital of El Geneina.


The RSF has denied responsibility for the killings, saying they were part of a "tribal conflict".


A joint statement from Jem and the SLM read: "We have announced ending any neutrality and joining the military operations at all frontlines without hesitation."


Jem and the SLM are not as strong as they used to be, but their entry into the Sudanese civil war is significant.


Both Darfuri rebel leaders signed a peace deal in 2020, and have since been closer to the Sudanese military than would once have seemed possible.


It is possible JEM and SLM will see their ranks swell with new recruits - increasing their importance on the Sudanese political scene.


In joining the fray now - after months of professed neutrality - they seek to defend their support base in Darfur, in particular the Zaghawa ethnic group both men come from.


They will also have concluded that an RSF victory would be disastrous for them, and Darfur.


Mr Ibrahim expressed concern at the RSF's advances, saying he feared Sudan would end up divided.


There are fears it could declare its own government in the impoverished war-torn western region.


The international dimension is significant too.


The Zaghawa are present in Chad as well as Sudan, and dominate Chadian politics. Mr Ibrahim and others have accused Chad of supporting the RSF.


He will be hoping that he can use his connections - including with Chad's leader Gen Mahamat Deby - to cut any ties between Chad and the RSF.


More on Sudan's conflict:

  • Ethnic cleansing committed in Sudan, UK says
  • What is going on in Sudan? A simple guide
  • 'I saw bodies dumped in Darfur mass grave'
  • 'I gave birth and kept walking to escape Sudan terror'
  • Sudan's army: Outnumbered on Khartoum's streets
  • Why an accountant has taken up arms in Sudan
  • West Darfur governor killed after genocide claim

  • View original:
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-67450204
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    Related reports
     
    JEM leader Jibril Ibrahim and SLM-MM leader Minni Arko Minawi address the press conference in Port Sudan yesterday (Photo: JEM) 
    Source: Radio Dabanga report Nov 17, 2023 - see here below.

    Radio Dabanga - November 17, 2023

    Darfur armed movements renounce neutrality in Sudan war

    The Sudan Liberation Movement under leadership of Minni Arko Minawi (SLM-MM), and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) led by Jibril Ibrahim, have announced their renunciation of the neutrality pledged in the September 2020 Juba Peace Agreement, and their preparedness “to participate in military operations on all fronts without hesitation”.

    Full story: https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/armed-movements-renounce-neutrality-in-sudan-war


    Sudan Tribune - November 15, 2023

    Key Darfur groups join Sudanese army in its war against RSF paramilitary forces

    The Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM-MM) led by Minni Minawi and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) have jointly announced their active involvement in military operations alongside the Sudanese army against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

    Full story: https://sudantribune.com/article279446/


    Sudan Watch - July 19, 2023

    Chad's Deby met Sudan's Finance Minister JEM leader Ibrahim. JEM leaders secretly met RSF commander

    Note, the leader of Darfur rebel group JEM, Gibril Ibrahim, is Sudan's Minister of Finance. He was appointed to the post by Sudanese Prime Minister Hamdok in a cabinet reshuffle 8 February 2021.

    Full story: https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2023/07/chads-deby-met-sudans-finance-minister.html


    [Ends] 

    Friday, October 20, 2023

    Civil Front to Stop the War and Restore Democracy in Sudan concludes Addis meetings, contacts SLM-AW

    NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: The following report, written in Arabic, was sent to me today by a Sudanese man living and working in England, UK. As he is keen to see peace in Sudan I have used Google translate to document the report here in English. A report by Sudan Tribune, also copied here below, explains who is behind the 'Civil Front'. It is heartening to see former Prime Minister Hamdok's name cited in the Sudan Tribune's report. 
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    Report from Al Taghyeer -  altaghyeer.info/en/
    Dated 20 September 2023 - here is a full copy (using Google translate):

    Civil Front concludes Addis meetings and takes steps to stop war in Sudan


    The components of the Civil Front to Stop the War and Restore Democracy in Sudan agreed on the importance of strengthening the efforts of all forces calling for stopping the war and restoring democracy, and the need to coordinate between them as soon as possible.


    Khartoum: Change


    The Civil Front to Stop the War and Restore Democracy in Sudan concluded meetings of the Coordination and Communication Authority held on September 17 and 18 in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, and issued a final statement on the deliberations and decisions.


    According to the statement issued on Tuesday, the meeting stressed the need to redouble efforts to confront the plans of the remnants of the former regime calling for the continuation of the war, and discussed the importance of strengthening the efforts of all forces calling for stopping the war and restoring democracy and the need to coordinate between them as soon as possible.


    He announced the formation of a committee to communicate with all democratic civil forces to accelerate these efforts, and the meeting adhered to the political vision of the components of the Civil Front.


    "Change" publishes the text of the final statement:

    Civil Front to Stop the War and Restore Democracy

    Final communiqué of the meetings of the Coordination and Communication Authority


    The meetings of the Coordination and Liaison Committee of the Civil Front to Stop the War and Restore Democracy, which lasted for two days (September 17 and 18), concluded in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, these meetings discussed the poor humanitarian situation caused by the war, and the political efforts exerted to work to stop it by building the broadest civil front of democratic forces opposed to it.


    At the outset, the Civil Front paid tribute to those who lost their lives in this war, and expressed its full solidarity with the injured, displaced and refugee victims.


    It declared its full condemnation of the gross violations of human rights, which varied between killings, occupation of homes and hospitals, looting of property, arrests, kidnappings, rape and many heinous crimes committed by the Rapid Support Forces, as well as all violations of killing, aerial bombardment of civilians and arbitrary arrests by the armed forces, and called for a transparent investigation and accountability for all those involved.


    The participants stressed the need to redouble efforts to confront the plans of the remnants of the former regime who call for the continuation of this war, use it to demonize the revolution and liquidate its forces, and spread hate speech and ethnic and regional division.


    They also discussed the importance of strengthening the efforts made by all civil forces calling for stopping the war and restoring democracy, and stressed the need for coordination between them as soon as possible, and a committee was formed from all categories of the front to communicate with all civil democratic forces to accelerate these efforts and reach the widest civil front that works to end the war, and rebuild the state on the basis of the principles, values and goals of the glorious December revolution.


    The meeting adhered to the political vision of the components of the Civil Front, which was contained in the founding statement of the Front on the twenty-seventh of last April, and work to develop it with the rest of the civil democratic forces in response to the new reality produced by the fifteenth of April war and its repercussions.


    They agreed to establish a national mechanism for reparations and compensation, including the relevant authorities, to account for all the damage caused by the war, and stressed that any political solution to end it must not fall under the principle of fair and equitable compensation for all those who have been harmed and harmed by this damned war.


    They also appreciated the efforts of humanitarian aid workers from local, regional and international institutions and organizations, especially the emergency rooms in Khartoum State and all cities and regions of Sudan, who work in very complex conditions, stressing the need to ensure the delivery of aid to those who deserve it.


    In conclusion, it was agreed to activate the organizational, media and humanitarian work to achieve the goals of the interim and future front.

    Coordination and Communication Authority

    19 September 2023

    Addis Ababa, Ethiopia


    View original: https://www.altaghyeer.info/ar/2023/09/19/الجبهة-المدنية-تختتم-اجتماعات-أديس/

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    Related report


    From Sudan Tribune.com

    Dated Thursday, 13 October 2023 - here is a full copy:


    Sudanese anti-war civilian forces reach out to Darfur holdout group


    Image: FFC leaders meet Ugandan president on July 3, 2023


    October 13, 2023 (ADDIS ABABA) – A prominent leader of the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) revealed that the Civil Front to Stop the War and Restore Democracy forces have been in contact with the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid Nur (SLM-AW) to join this collective effort.


    Since July of this year, political forces, civil society groups, and some armed movements that are parties to the Juba peace agreement have been engaged in discussions to establish a broad civil coalition. The purpose of this coalition is to exert pressure on the warring factions to cease hostilities and revive the path toward democratic transition.


    Nur al-Din Babikir, a member of the FFC leadership and spokesman for the Sudanese Congress Party, told Sudan Tribune that there is coordination between the Front, the SLM-AW, the initiatives led by former Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and former Sudanese ambassador to the United States Nur al-Din Satti. He added that the purpose of these consultations is to convene a founding conference for the Civil Front.


    Babikir stated that the conference’s agenda is centred on halting the conflict by forming a coalition capable of compelling both sides involved in the conflict to cease hostilities. Subsequently, this would pave the way for a political process to restore the civilian-led democratic transition through an agreed project.


    He further confirmed that the FFC also consults with IGAD, neighbouring countries, and other regional actors to unify their initiatives. He stressed that these efforts have made some progress towards achieving a ceasefire despite the lack of commitment from both parties.


    Also, he announced that the United States and Saudi Arabia are holding consultations to resume the Jeddah process to end the war in the near future, starting with the cessation of hostilities, the establishment of humanitarian corridors to provide aid to the war-afflicted civilians, and a subsequent political process that ends the war.


    He pointed out that the Front includes many Sudanese figures representing various bodies, the FFC, and nine coordination committees for Resistance Committees, civil society initiatives, and armed groups.


    The SLM-AW rejects the Juba Peace Agreement and refuses to participate in any peace process to end the war in Darfur. In return, the Movement calls for a national conference to discuss issues of identity, wealth distribution, and justice and social justice in the country.


    It’s worth noting that the SLM-AW has rejected the Juba Peace Agreement and remains unwilling to participate in any peace process to end the conflict in Darfur. Instead, the group calls for a national conference to address matters related to identity, wealth distribution, justice, and social justice within the country.


    The FFC-initiated civilian front has not announced any contact with the Democratic Bloc groups, which includes the SLM led by Minni Minnawi and the Justice and Equality Movement of Gibril Ibrahim.


    A severe conflict has been ongoing between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces since April 15 of this year. This has been accompanied by grave violations against civilians, including killings, sexual violence, arrests, forced displacement, and military airstrikes. (ST)


    View original: https://sudantribune.com/article278299/


    [Ends]