Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) - The attack of rebels of the JEM (Justice and Equality Movement) on Sudan’s capital city of Khartoum is an unprecedented event in the long series of guerrilla warfare that has marked the country’s recent history. Until now, guerrilla fighters had not made the attempt to bring the fighting into the capital. Normally the conflicts in Sudan had been maintained in specific areas, in strategic locations (due to geographic position or for the presence of natural resources such as fuel) and central Sudan, with its capital city, had been relatively preserved from violence (except the coup d’etat).
On May 10, a regiment of JEM attacked Omdurman, a suburb of Khartoum, after having traveled over 600 kilometers from their bases in western Darfur, without any interceptions by the national army. Some Sudan soldiers had even joined the rebels. About 60 people died in the fighting. According to Sudan authorities, the rebels fled but their leader has declared in several statements that they are still present in Omdurman.
The conduct of the JEM has been condemned by the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), the movement in south Sudan that signed a peace accord in 2005 with Khartoum and whose members form a part of the central government. In recent days, the international press had focused on the resurgence of tensions between north and south Sudan and the arming of southern militias.
This situation is a reflection of the Sudanese governmental system, that has always been in the hands of the population that lives in on the shores of the Nile River. In fact, in the past the central government has been representative of this population, which has highly benefited from the distribution of the country’s resources. The inhabitants of the rest of the country have remained marginalized and forced to ask the military to intervene in defending their rights.
The JEM, one of Darfur’s most influential guerrilla groups, has been associated with Hassam al-Tourabi, ex-ideologist of the Sudanese regime, that has for some time worked against President Bashir, becoming one of the main voices of criticism of the central government. Touurabi was arrested after the attack by JEM, along with another four leaders from his party, the Popular Congress Party (PCP). With this event, the JEM has demonstrated its distance from the other armed groups operating in Darfour and that they work according to the demands of the local population. The JEM has indeed shown that their activity is on a national level, directly challenging the central government in the capital.
In addition, their is also an international dimension in the Sudanese group’s attack. In fact, Khartoum has accused Chad of having supported the activity of JEM and has cut off relations with its government. The attack on Khartoum recalls that performed in February (see Fides 5/2/2008) by a group of Chad rebels (that local authorities claim were supported by Khartoum) on the capital city of N’Djamena. Various observers consider the JEM’s attack to be a type of response to the Chad government, as there seems to be a constant war, above all carried out by the countries’ guerrilla groups. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 12/5/2008 righe 41 parole 520)
