Former Darfur rebel leader named presidential assistant

The leader of the former rebel Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) in the war-torn region of Darfur, Minni Minnawi, was sworn in as special assistant to Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir in Khartoum on Monday, despite a political row over the weekend. He was expected in the Sudanese capital on Saturday but postponed his arrival, accusing the government of obstructing the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) by delaying his appointment. He also threatened to cease implementing the accord. Minnawi is the leader of the largest of three main rebel groups in Darfur and the only one that signed the 5 May peace deal with the Sudanese government. The talks were brokered by the African Union (AU) in the Nigerian capital Abuja. His new post was one of the key political demands of the group during the peace negotiations. The DPA has little popular support among civilians in Darfur, however, many of whom continue to live in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refuse to return to their villages for fear of renewed attacks by armed militias. Since its signing, violence has increased across Darfur due to the fragmentation of various rebel groups and escalating fighting between the signatories and the non-signatories of the DPA. "The DPA is now in trouble and may dwindle since the NCP [the ruling National Congress Party] started playing such tactics," Mahgoub Hussein, the official spokesman of the SLM/A, told journalists in Khartoum on Saturday evening. In response to Minnawi’s statement, the Sudanese government issued a decree that formalised his appointment and he arrived in Khartoum on Sunday. His initial cancellation, however, revealed the continuing distrust between the former adversaries. A key bone of contention is Minnawi's support for a United Nations military role in Darfur, despite al-Bashir's repeated refusal to accept a possible transition from the AU peacekeepers to a more robust UN operation. "The government should allow international troops to be deployed in Darfur to allow the implementation of the DPA on the ground, and we [the SLM/A] are ready to see that the DPA is implemented fully," Hussein said. "UN troops are the backbone needed to safeguard the DPA." "The government should deal with the issue of international troops' deployment in Darfur as [an issue of] paramount importance because the DPA and civilians in Darfur need protection," he added. "The need for the UN troops is the demand of the people of Darfur." Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in his latest Darfur report to the Security Council, released on Friday, that as many as 18,600 UN troops could be needed to pacify the troubled region. Annan outlined three options for a UN Mission in Darfur - involving 15,300, 17,300 or 18,600 troops respectively. The primary purpose of the military operation should be to establish a stable and secure environment to protect civilians and support the implementation of the DPA, he stressed. "The mandate should allow the force full freedom of movement and authorise robust action when required." Given the regional nature of the conflict, a military presence was also required in key locations in neighbouring Chad, including in camps for IDPs and refugees, and, if necessary, in the Central African Republic. The deployment of a UN peacekeeping force - scheduled to begin next January - remained contingent on the consent and cooperation of the Sudanese government, the report observed, requiring continued intensive discussions to convince the Sudanese leadership of its merit. According to the report, the Darfur conflict has resulted in more than 200,000 civilian casualties, more than 2 million people displaced from their homes and the destruction of the livelihoods of millions more. ds/mw/eo