Civilian coalition focused on Sudan’s democratic transition in connection with an end to the fighting

HERE is a copy of a tweet by US Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey @USAMBSudan posted 1 Aug 2023 2:28 pm. It says: "Useful meetings yesterday in Cairo with representatives from Sudanese civil society, political coalitions and parties to discuss their efforts to form a broadly representative, inclusive and robust civilian coalition focused on restoring Sudan’s democratic transition in connection with an end to the fighting."

Useful meetings yesterday in Cairo with representatives from Sudanese civil society, political coalitions and parties to discuss their efforts to form a broadly representative, inclusive and robust civilian coalition focused on restoring Sudan’s democratic transition in…

— John Godfrey (@USAMBSudan) August 1, 2023

HERE is a copy of Mr Godfrey's previous tweet posted 31 Jul 2023 9:31 pm. It says: "Welcomed the opportunity to visit Egypt to consult with partners on efforts to stop the fighting in Sudan, and to meet in Cairo with a group of Embassy Khartoum locally-engaged staff. Thank you to Egypt for its efforts, including on behalf of Sudanese fleeing the fighting in their country."

Welcomed the opportunity to visit Egypt to consult with partners on efforts to stop the fighting in Sudan, and to meet in Cairo with a group of Embassy Khartoum locally-engaged staff. Thank you to Egypt for its efforts, including on behalf of Sudanese fleeing the fighting in…

— John Godfrey (@USAMBSudan) July 31, 2023

[Ends] 

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HERE is a full copy of a report by Sudan Tribune - sudantribune.com

Published Saturday 05 August 2023

Sudan’s FFC hold consultations with various forces for broad civilian front

August 5, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) have postponed the announcement of their new roadmap to resolve the Sudanese crisis as they consult with additional political parties and armed groups to establish a broad civil front, except the dissolved National Congress Party (NCP).

A member of the FFC Executive Council reiterated that the coalition adopted a new plan to end the ongoing armed conflict and restore a civilian government in Sudan. The move confirms implicitly the abandonment of the Political Framework Agreement of December 5, 2022.

Speaking on a Twitter platform on Saturday, Hassan disclosed that meetings on building an expanded civil front have already commenced with several organizations and national parties.

He emphasized that anyone opposing the war in Sudan is a crucial part of this civil front, but the dissolved party of the former regime cannot be part of the future solution.

The coalition believes that delaying the release of the FFC’s vision will enable further consultation with other civil and political national forces, contributing to the establishment of the civil front.

Last week, Yasir Arman, a prominent member of the pro-democracy alliance, criticized the African Union’s plans to include the banned NCP of Omer al-Bashir in an intra-Sudanese meeting they plan to hold in Addis Ababa on August 25.

Various regional and international plans to resolve the political crisis in Sudan propose halting the fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as well as facilitating a national conference to discuss the democratic transition and the formation of a civilian government.

The FFC spokesperson stated that contacts with the Arab Socialist Baath Party had not ceased even before the outbreak of the war. Additionally, they reached out to the Communist Party and several civil and political forces, along with armed groups, in order to unite the civil front and halt the war.

The FFC official expressed hope that these efforts would yield tangible results soon.

Emphasizing the urgency, Hassan stressed that a permanent ceasefire is a top priority, as it would allow citizens to return to their homes and facilitate humanitarian aid and reconstruction.

Some armed groups including the SLM of Minni Minnawi and the JEM of Girbil Ibrahim refused to join the framework agreement saying they cannot accept to be under a new coalition controlled by the FFC groups.

Image: FFC Spokesman Gaffar Hassan (L) speaks to Sudanese lawyers in Khartoum on January 25, 2023

View original: https://sudantribune.com/article275811/ 

Related report

Sudan Tribune - Mon 7 Aug 2023

Neighbouring countries craft plan for ending Sudan’s ongoing conflict

In a meeting held in N’Djamena, the foreign ministers of Sudan’s neighbouring countries on Monday gave their endorsement to a comprehensive plan aimed at bringing an end to the four-month-long conflict within the country. 

The two-day gathering of foreign ministers had been convened following a summit of Sudan’s neighbouring leaders last month in Cairo.

Full story: https://sudantribune.com/article275890/

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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. Read more.

Report from Sudan Tribune - sudantribune.com
Published Monday 17 July 2023 - here is a full copy:

JEM faces internal rift as leaders engage with RSF commander

July 17, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) is confronted with an internal crisis as three senior members are found to have secretly held a meeting with the Second Commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Abdel Rahim Daglo.

JEM leader Gibril Ibrahim refuted claims in a statement last week, denying any meeting with Daglo in the Chadian capital during a recent trip to N’djamena. He affirmed that his sole meeting was with Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby on July 8.

While JEM asserts its neutrality in the war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary forces, reports have resurfaced suggesting that Daglo had met with JEM leadership members in Chad. The purpose of the meeting was reportedly to discuss the RSF’s political future within the ongoing efforts to end the war, hold an inclusive dialogue, and explore possibilities for cooperation between the two armed groups.

In response to these reports, JEM indirectly acknowledged the meeting by issuing a second statement, on Sunday stating that the leadership members who met the RSF second-in-command in N’djamena acted in their personal capacity without any mandate from the group.

On Monday, a prominent JEM leader disclosed to the Sudan Tribune that the movement’s leader intends to take punitive measures against the senior officials who secretly met with Daglo in Chad.

“Gibril Ibrahim plans to impose severe penalties on the leaders who clandestinely met Daglo in N’Djamena,” said the senior official, who is not authorized to speak to the media.

The official revealed that Ibrahim personally spoke with JEM’s political secretary, Suleiman Sandal, and its chief negotiator and peace implementation secretary, Ahmed Tugud, to inquire about the reasons behind their meeting with the RSF second-in-command.

The source emphasized that the unauthorized meeting has angered the JEM leadership, particularly as it contradicts the movement’s stance of neutrality in the conflict between the army and the paramilitary forces.

“These leaders have chosen a path that contradicts the movement’s vision. Ongoing meetings are being held with them to clarify their positions, and strict sanctions are expected to be imposed against them in the coming days,” the source stated.

Last week, the leaders of the Darfur groups that signed the Juba peace agreement held discussions with the Chadian president to address the urgent need for protecting civilians in Darfur and stemming the flow of refugees to Chad.

In light of the reported killing of hundreds of civilians in West and Central Darfur states by the RSF and allied militiamen, the signatory groups also convened in N’djamena and agreed to strengthen the joint force.

Following the outbreak of war, the Darfur armed groups formed a joint force to safeguard civilians, but its role has remained limited to the North Darfur capital. The force is mainly escorting humanitarian and commercial convoys to or  in the western Sudan region.

(ST)

View original:  https://sudantribune.com/article275238/

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Related report

Darfur24 -Tuesday 18 July 2023

JEM chairman vows to punish senior movement officials

[...] On the 5th of July, several leading members of the struggle movements, including chairman of Sudan liberation Movements Minnawi, Altahir Hajar and Alhadi Idriss held talks with senior Chadian government officials on the situation in Sudan in general and Darfur in particular and the possibility of delivering humanitarian aid to Darfur region.

https://www.darfur24.com/en/2023/07/18/jem-chairman-vows-to-punish-senior-movement-officials/

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Sudan’s war is on the brink of igniting a regional ring of fire - Preventing it requires the UN (Alex de Waal)

WATCHED LIVE STREAM of a special meeting on Sudan held at the UN Human Rights Council, Geneva today. What an eye opener. Sad to say, after watching it and reading of the one held by the UN Security Council today, I no longer believe the African Union is up to handling the Sudan crisis. The UN will be needed. More on this at a later date. Meanwhile, I couldn't let another minute pass without posting for posterity this urgent masterpiece by Prof Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation. 

Report from ResponsibleStatecraft.org

Written by Alex de Waal

Dated Wednesday 10 May 2023 - full copy:

The conflict in Sudan threatens to devolve into a regional maelstrom

Given the number of potential spoilers and intruders, the US and other peace brokers urgently need to bring in the United Nations

Sudan’s war is on the brink of igniting a regional ring of fire. That can be prevented — but it needs the United Nations to play its role.

At the weekend, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia convened talks in Jeddah on a short-term ceasefire to allow aid in and civilians out. That is a tough ask. But the American and Saudi diplomats face a second, equally difficult challenge: how to insulate the Sudan crisis from becoming ensnared in regional and global antagonisms.

No outside player wanted the war, and none want it to escalate — and that includes Russia and China. External powers, especially in the Middle East, may have their favorites to head the country, but none of them want to see their candidate ruling over ruins. With every passing day, the risk is rising that outside powers become entangled.

Egypt openly favors General Abdel Fatah al-Burhan, head of the Sudan Armed Forces, or SAF. Turkey and Qatar, both of which have close ties to Sudan’s Islamists, lean that way. The United Arab Emirates has ties to both generals, but has closer political and commercial ties with his rival, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo, known as “Hemedti,” and his Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.

The Arab League has followed the Egyptian position, identifying al-Burhan as representing the Sudanese state, implicitly labeling Hemedti as a rebel.

The Wagner Group has a partnership with the RSF, but the Kremlin also has interests in a Red Sea naval base and in SAF-controlled military businesses. China has investments in Sudan, especially in the oil sector, and sees the Red Sea as a strategic link in its Belt and Road Initiative — the waterway is its main maritime trade corridor to Europe.

The conflict poses a national security risk for Sudan’s neighbors. Egypt is struggling to cope with a mass influx of people that already tops 100,000. Privately they expect a million, including many dual Sudanese-Egyptian nationals. Saudi Arabia is receiving evacuees across the Red Sea. The Gulf monarchies all have Sudanese diaspora communities who will be bringing their extended families. They, and countries such as Turkey, have major investments in Sudan’s agriculture that face collapse.

The re-ignition of conflict in Darfur will ensnare Sudan’s western neighbors. One group to watch is the Arab militia of Musa Hilal, the Janjaweed commander defeated by Hemedti when the RSF took control of Darfur’s gold mines. Others are fighters loyal to Minni Minawi’s Sudan Liberation Army and Jibreel Ibrahim’s Justice and Equality Movement, both of which have stayed neutral thus far. But as the SAF tries to close the borders, attack the gold mines, and burn Hemedti’s home base, Darfur is likely to explode, with terrible humanitarian consequences.

Libya is already entangled. Khalifa Haftar, head of the so-called Libyan National Army — and another member of the Wagner group of friends — is already supplying Hemedti with logistics. RSF fighters and others with different allegiances back home have fought on different sides in Libya: some will return to join the fray, others may fight one another in Libya. All these groups are also armed and dangerous in Chad and Central African Republic. Chadian President Mahamat Deby knows that his father, and his father’s predecessor, both took power in invasions from Darfur, and that his opponents will be assessing their chances.

There is upwards of a million South Sudanese in Sudan — refugees, labor migrants, and residents who stayed after the 2011 secession. They have few attractive options as their home country is fragile. South Sudan is in the path of the storm as trade from the north is cut, oil exports through Sudan are imperiled, and militias on both sides of the two country’s common border become emboldened. South Sudan’s president Salva Kiir has offered to mediate, but has made no progress.

Sudan’s war also intersects with Ethiopia’s. In recent weeks, the federal government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has switched horses — he has a new common front with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front against Amhara militias and Eritrea. The war zone is adjacent to Sudan, including the al-Fashaga Triangle — an area disputed between the two countries. There are 80,000 Tigrayan refugees inside Sudan in danger, and battalions of Tigrayan soldiers who had served with the UN and been given asylum there. Meanwhile, Egypt will be wondering if this might be a moment to disrupt the scheduled filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam during this summer’s rainy season, a step it fiercely objects to.

The only neighbor that sees potential benefits is Eritrea. The chaos is a chance for Eritrean security agents to roam freely, rounding up dissidents who will disappear into that country’s gulag and press-ganging refugees to replenish the depleted ranks of its army. And the more Eritrea’s neighbors are in turmoil, the more the Eritrean despot Isseyas Afewerki becomes the region’s military hegemon.

This regional tinderbox risks, first, that every neighbor will be involved, and, second, each will use its leverage to impede its rival’s. Any government that tries to step into the role of mediator will be seen by others as pursuing its interests, at the expense of others.

The U.S., China, and Russia share the basic agenda of stopping state collapse. But if Washington is visibly acting as the powerbroker, the other two will be tempted to play the spoiler.

On Thursday, President Biden issued an executive order authorizing sanctions against “individuals responsible for threatening the peace, security, and stability of Sudan” or who are obstructing the democratic transition or committing serious human rights abuses. This isn’t likely to frighten the Sudanese generals or their foreign backers, who are accomplished sanctions-busters. But it will rile China, Russia, and African states, who are united in their opposition to unilateral U.S. sanctions wherever they are deployed.

The U.S. appears to have given up on the UN. True, it’s weakly led, it abandoned Sudan in its hour of need, and making it work demands careful diplomatic footwork. But if a regional conflagration is to be avoided, all the potential spoilers need to be neutralized, and for that the UN is indispensable.

View original: 

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/05/10/the-conflict-in-sudan-threatens-to-devolve-into-a-regional-maelstrom/

[Ends] 

Alex de Waal [pictured here] is executive director of the World Peace Foundation, Research Professor at the Fletcher School of Global Affairs, Tufts University, and Professorial Fellow at the London School of Economics. He has worked on the Horn of Africa and on humanitarian issues since the 1980s as a researcher and practitioner. He initiated the UN Commission on HIV/AIDS and Governance in Africa and was director of the AIDS, Security and Conflict Initiative and was a senior advisor to the African Union High Level Panel on Sudan and South Sudan. De Waal’s recent books include: The Real Politics of the Horn of Africa: Money, War and the Business of Power (Polity 2015), Mass Starvation: The history and future of famine (Polity 2018), and New Pandemics, Old Politics: 200 years of the war on disease and its alternatives (Polity 2021).

Darfur war leader Abdul Wahid Nur is in South Sudan

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: A day after I mentioned Abdul Wahid Nur's name here, I go to sleep and wake up to find him in this news report by AFP.

He’s 55. 20 years ago he and his gormless gang along with a more intelligent and ruthless JEM gang started the Darfur war. Tintin springs to mind here. 

AFP's report says he is now based in Juba, South Sudan but doesn't say how he funds his work-free life, travel, hotel rooms, fancy clothes, family if any.

France & Germany host Darfur rebels. Maybe supporters pay for him to laze around Paris, save his skin, drink beer, visit Israel. He makes my foot itch. 

The report is copied here in full to show the standard of his chat. Note that he states the obvious saying Sudanese people want a civilian government. 

He rarely visits Darfur as support for him has dwindled. He has delusions of becoming president of Sudan or Darfur or anywhere that'll have him. 

________________________________________________________________________________

Report from Yahoo News

By Agence France-Presse (AFP)

Dated Thursday 4 May 2023, 11:24 am BST - full copy:

'No winner' in Sudan war: exiled Darfur rebel leader

Sudanese exiled rebel leader Abdel Wahid Nur -- a veteran of decades of fighting in the troubled Darfur region -- says there can be "no winner" in the war now raging between two rival generals.

"The Sudanese people want neither of them," Nur, now based in neighbouring South Sudan, told AFP. "They want a civilian government."

Battles have flared for weeks between Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

"What's happening in Sudan is a disaster," Nur, 55, said in an interview in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, where he lives after spending years in Paris.

"There is no winner in this war," said the leader of a faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) whose members, he said, have not joined the fighting.

The battles have turned Khartoum into a war zone and also killed scores in Darfur, which Nur said once more suffers "war crimes and crimes against humanity".

Nur was a leader of the Darfur rebellion from 2003 when African minority groups rose up against Arab elites they accused of monopolising Sudan's political power and wealth.

The Islamist-backed strongman then in power, Omar al-Bashir, unleashed the notorious Janjaweed militias, the forerunners of the RSF, whose atrocities shocked the world.

The unrest killed at least 300,000 people and displaced 2.5 million, according to the UN. The bloodshed led to international charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes against Bashir and others.

Although Darfur's conflict subsided over the years, the region remains awash with weapons and sporadic violence erupts, often over access to water, land and resources.

- 'Hands of oppression' -

Sudan's military ousted Bashir in April 2019 following mass pro-democracy protests, and Burhan has been the de facto leader since then.

Daglo, from Darfur's pastoralist camel-herding Arab Rizeigat people, rose to prominence with the Janjaweed, which made up the bulk of the RSF formed in 2013.

In October 2021, Burhan and his then number-two Daglo jointly staged another coup that upended the country's fragile transition to civilian rule.

The two generals then engaged in a power struggle, most recently over the RSF's integration into the regular army, which has now flared into bloody violence.

"The two bodies fighting now once acted as Bashir's hands of oppression," said Nur.

"The army and Burhan personally supervised the making of the Janjaweed," he said, adding that his own movement opposes both and only fights "oppression".

Nur described the conflict as the expected outcome of a "political struggle that became militarised".

The current fighting has killed more than 550 people, wounded thousands and sent more than 100,000 fleeing abroad.

In West Darfur state, the UN says, the hostilities "have triggered intercommunal violence", which have seen many deaths and accounts of rampant looting and burning of property.

- Ambition to rule -

Nur's SLM faction refused to sign a 2020 peace deal with Sudan's short-lived transitional government installed following Bashir's ouster.

It charged that the accord, signed by other rebel groups, failed to address the root causes of Sudan's conflicts.

Nur said his movement had however observed "a unilateral ceasefire since Bashir's ouster and have since committed to it" to give a chance to the planned transition to civilian rule.

Nur belongs to the ethnic Fur tribe in Darfur, and analysts believe his faction still maintains considerable support.

A report last year by UN experts said Nur's faction was among Darfuri armed groups "receiving payments and logistical support" in exchange for sending mercenaries to strife-torn Libya.

The UN experts, in 2020, also said Nur's group had strengthened its miliary capability following the discovery of gold in its area.

Nur rejects the allegations and says he does not support either side in the current war, stressing that his fighters play no role in it.

Nur said the conflict reflects the two generals' ambitions to rule Sudan but is only "increasing the suffering" of the people, especially in Darfur.

In a country with a history of military coups, Burhan and Daglo have each touted themselves as champions of democracy seeking to restore the transition to civilian rule.

Nur, recalling the mass youth-led protests that led to Bashir's overthrow, said the Sudanese people reject both of them.

"I don't think they will ever accept military rule," he said.

bur/it/fz

View original: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/no-winner-sudan-war-exiled-102413405.html?guccounter=1

[Ends]

CARTOON: The world is looking at Sudan

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor: I am feeling too sad about Sudan and South Sudan to see straight. Even the cartoons are sad. Watching the news unfold seems ghoulish. It feels like the start of Darfur War II. Millions are about to die or become refugees. And when it's safe Abdul Wahid al-Nur's well-fed face will pop up on our screens to save "his" people and make my blood boil.

Why do I seem to be the only one calling for the removal of Burhan and Hemeti? Instead of being arrested they've been given ten more days of freedom to regroup. Why? What's wrong with the people who have plenty? 

If the two psychos aren't removed, Sudan, like South Sudan, will fail because most people involved in Africa, apart from the long suffering, are profiting, making money, furthering a career, selling stuff and information. War is a sick perverse game. Please God help Sudan, South Sudan and their children. 

The world is looking at Sudan - Cartoon by Omar Dafallah (RD) 

Source: Report from Radio Dabanga

UN says SAF and RSF agreed to negotiations, more mediation initiatives launched

KHARTOUM – May 2, 2023 

https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/un-says-saf-and-rsf-agreed-to-negotiations-more-mediation-initiatives-launched

Sudan's PM Hamdok, detained after coup, is home

NOTE from Sudan Watch Editor:  Although I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the following report, I am posting it here because it provides some details about Sudan's Prime Minister Hamdok and his wife. Sadly, I have not found any reliable news about Mr Hamdok's cabinet colleagues, their current whereabouts and how they are being treated. I am reluctant to post this report here today but am confident that Mr Hamdok and his wife have been released safely. Reportedly, they were abducted and detained at the home of Sudan's coup leader Gen. Burhan. More on this at a later date.   

Photo, Sudan's head of the military Gen Abdel-Fattah Burhan speaks during a press conference at the General Command of the Armed Forces in Khartoum, Sudan, Tuesday, Oct 26, 2021. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)

Sudan’s prime minister, detained after coup, returns home

Report at Fox17 dot com 

Written by SAMY MAGDY, Associated Press (AP) 

Published Wednesday 27 October 2021 

Sudan's deposed prime minister and his wife were allowed to return home Tuesday, a day after they were detained when the military seized power in a coup, according to a statement issued by his office.

The release of Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok and his wife followed international condemnation of the coup and calls for the military to release all the government officials who were detained when Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan seized power on Monday.

The statement by Hamdok's office said other government officials remained in detention, their locations unknown. The deposed prime minister and his wife were under "heavy security" at home in the upscale Kafouri neighborhood of the capital Khartoum, said a military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. The official did not say whether they were free to leave or make calls.

Earlier in the day, Burhan said Hamdok had been held for his own safety and would be released. But he warned that other members of the dissolved government could face trial as protests against the putsch continued in the streets.

View full report plus 14 photos here:  https://fox17.com/news/nation-world/sudans-prime-minister-detained-after-coup-returns-home

Sudan allows former foe Israel to fly over its territory - Gaddafi said Israel, not Bashir, behind Darfur war

Sudan allows former foe Israel to fly over its territory
Report by BBC World Service

Dated 17 February 2020

BBC Image credit and caption: Nur Photo

The first Israeli plane crossed Sudan on Saturday on its way to South America (file photo)

Israel says it has begun flying commercial aircraft through Sudanese airspace under an agreement with the Khartoum government.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told a group of visiting US Jewish leaders that the first Israeli plane crossed Sudan on Saturday, bound for South America.

He said the new air corridor would cut the flying time on the route by three hours.

Sudan said in early Ferbruary that it had given initial approval for Israeli planes to fly over its territory.

Mr Netanyahu said Israel was discussing rapid normalisation of ties with its former foe.

Sudan, which has close ties with the Palestinians, has stopped short of referring to improving ties with Israel.

View Original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cq23pdgvgm8t/sudan

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Copy of Reuters report from the archives of Sudan Watch 2009:

Gaddafi says Israel, not Bashir, behind Darfur war

Report from Reuters

Written by Lamine Ghanmi; Editing by Kevin Liffey 

Dated 24 February 2009 / 6:43 PM / 11 YEARS AGO

TRIPOLI, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the current African Union president, on Tuesday accused "foreign forces" including Israel of being behind the Darfur conflict.

Judges from the International Criminal Court are due to announce on March 4 whether they will issue a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir over allegations that he masterminded genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region. U.N. diplomats have told Reuters the warrant will be issued.

But Gaddafi, addressing a meeting on ways to expand cooperation between the United Nations and African Union, urged the Court to stop its proceedings against Bashir:

"Why do we have to hold President Bashir or the Sudanese government responsible when the Darfur problem was caused by outside parties, and Tel Aviv (Israel), for example, is behind the Darfur crisis?"

Gaddafi suggested, without presenting any evidence, that the Israeli military was among those stoking the conflict:

"It is not a secret. We have found evidence proving clearly that foreign forces are behind the Darfur problem and are fanning its fire," Gaddafi said, according to the Libyan state news agency Jana.

"We discovered that some of the main leaders of the Darfur rebels have opened offices in Tel Aviv and hold meetings with the military there to add fuel to the conflict fire."

Mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against Sudan’s government in 2003, accusing it of neglecting the Darfur region. Khartoum mobilised mostly Arab militias to crush the rebellion.

International experts say the fighting has killed 200,000 people and uprooted 2.7 million. Sudan’s government denies any genocide, saying that 10,000 have been killed and that Western media exaggerate the conflict.

Gaddafi himself has made a number of attempts to broker peace talks between Darfur rebels and the Sudanese government. 

View Original: https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLO50752
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FURTHER READING
From the archives of Sudan Watch:

August 17, 2019

Ex-Israel spy admits lobbying US on behalf of Sudan military council

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2019/08/dickens-madson-lobbyists-dont-know.html

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May 27, 2009

Suspected Israeli airstrike on a convoy in Sudan January 2009 killed 119 people

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/05/suspected-israeli-airstrike-on-convoy.html

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April 13, 2009

Envoy to Tehran stresses Mossad's role in Sudan's insecurity

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/04/sudans-envoy-to-tehran-stresses-mossads.html

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April 05, 2009

Africa Confidential heard that another arms convoy was moving north near Red Sea coast and Egyptian forces were moving to Sudan border to block it

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/04/africa-confidential-heard-that-another.html

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March 26, 2009

Unidentified aircraft destroyed suspected arms convoy in E. Sudan last January (Update 4)

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/03/unidentified-aircraft-destroyed.html

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February 28, 2009

AU Chairman: Hard Evidence Proves Israel behind Darfur Conflict

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/02/au-chairman-hard-evidence-proves-israel.html

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February 18, 2009

SLM's Abdel Wahid al-Nur visits Israel - 

Sudanese rebel leader meets with Israeli spies

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/02/slms-abdel-wahid-al-nur-visits-israel.html

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February 03, 2009

Israeli owner of MV Faina pays $3.2m ransom - Its cargo destined for Darfur? JEM has received heavy military logistical support from Israel?

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/02/israeli-owner-of-mv-faina-pays-32m.html

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October 31, 2008

Ukraine says military hardware carried by hijacked Ukrainian ship MV Faina had been officially sold to Kenya (Update 1)

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2008/10/ukraine-says-military-hardware-carried.html