Oh my, this is big. Non-signatory to the Darfur peace agreement, Abdul-Wahid Al-Nur announced that his break-away SLM rebel faction has inaugurated an office in Israel!
February 25, 2008 (PARIS) — A Darfur rebel group announced today that they have inaugurated an office in Israel, according to a press release received today by Sudan Tribune.
… “The office was created by some of the SLM members who sought refuge in Israel from the killings by the Sudanese government. This is our normal practice in any part of the world where we have a presence” the rebel leader said.
“We believe in transparency with our people. We have nothing to hide or be ashamed of” he added.
Read the whole article here.
On one hand I see this as a huge reckless move on Abdul-Wahid’s part. He’s known for making outlandish statement such as demanding that Darfur becomes an entirely new and seperate country.
Hasn’t he even thought about the consequences this could have for the plight of Darfurians in the eyes of Northern Sudanese, Arabs and Muslims? Even the SPLM was secretive about its cooperation with Israel during the North-South civil war but then again, it’s not like most Arabs and Muslims even cared in the first place since they believe Darfur is nothing but an exaggerated tale told by the Zionist-controlled media, which brings me to the other side of things.
The Sudanese government is going to milk this whole thing dry. It’s already starting to. We can all kiss-goodbye any attempt to convince the skeptics and conspiracy theorists that Darfur is indeed witnessing death and destruction. I’m also afraid that sympathetic people will eventually turn their backs and walk away with a bitter taste in their mouth.
Personally, to me, whether Israel is meddling in our affairs and providing support to Darfur’s rebels or not shouldn’t matter much because it doesn’t change the fact that Darfurians today are suffering terribly. It doesn’t change the fact that they went through hell and it’s doesn’t change the fact that this is not some overblown story.
I don’t think any sane person can deny the greater suffering endured by Southern Sudanese during the civil war regardless of the fact that Israel supported the SPLM. What people are a lot more aware of is the support that was provided to Southerners by the Clinton administration. On one hand I’m glad my fellow oppressed people in the South found a way to fight and defend themselves but on the other, I didn’t like the arrangement because all it did was prolong the war. That’s why I believe in this instance, Bush deserves praise no matter how “unpraisable” he might seem. The United States, under his administration, dedicated a lot of time and resources to ending the North-South civil war, and they did.
So what’s Israel’s role, if any? Is it distant or deeply intertwined? I can’t help but wonder. After all, here you have a person leading a rebellion, and is very open to establishing relations with Israel. Hello, he says so openly. Even the SPLM knows better. I’m sure what he says must be music to Israel’s ears.
I’d say Abdul-Wahid is underestimating al-Bashir’s NCP. Unlike the SPLM, Darfur’s rebels aren’t even unified to begin with. Plus given his previously outlandish statements, I’m tempted to label him “reckless”.
The repercussions of this very daring - and open - move will be interesting (and I admit, amusing) to watch.
SudaneseThinker
SudaneseThinker
