Darfur's rebels kidnap three officials to the east of al-Fasher
Sudan, Politics, 7/12/2004

The rebels in west Sudan launched an attack against a town in the district and kidnapped a senior tribal chieftain and two remarkable figures there. The governor of North Darfur district Othman Kabeer said that the rebels kidnapped al-Saddiq Abbas, the leader of the Arab tribes in the area, the director of the agricultural bank and a judge from the town which is situated to the east of al-Fasher the capital of the district.

Although the rebels and the government signed a cease fire agreement in April, however, the two sides are exchanging accusations of violating it. Kabeer said that the rebels of the Sudan liberation movement and al- Adel Wal- Musawat (justice and equity) movement violated the truce in Darfur 50 times since the signing of the agreement.

The Sudanese government are being exposed to international pressure to dismantle the Arab militias weapons known as Jangawid which are accused by the rebels of carrying out mass cleansing campaigns.

The German foreign minister Yushka Fischer called in Khartoum to abide by its promise to dismantle the weapons of al-Jangawid which it blames for the acts of violence in the area.

The UN secretary general Kofi Annan got the same promise in talks he had held last week in Khartoum with the Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and several Sudanese leaders.

The Sudan's liberation movement accused the government of integrating Jangawid in the lines of the armed forces and the police and arming them for fighting the rebels. It called on Annan and the US secretary of state Colin Powell to put other mechanism to dismantle the weapons of the Jangawid and protect civilians and not to leave this mission for the Sudanese government.

Previous Stories:
  Washington faces opposition at the UN Security Council, Khartoum warns against repeating the Iraqi crisis   (7/10/2004)
  Washington renews pressures on Sudan, Blair threatens sanctions   (7/9/2004)
  Sudan lifts restrictions from the moves of relief agencies, African forces in Darfur   (7/7/2004)

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