JEM Clashes with sudanese army in khartoum

May 12, 2008

        Violence erupted in Sudan’s capital city of Khartoum over the weekend, as members of the rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) attacked the Sudanese Army. This is the first time Darfur rebels have ever been able to get close to the seat of power. According to government reports, the attack was repulsed by the Sudanese military. However JEM claims they will be returning with reinforcements, and plans to exhaust the military. The government has arrested innocent Darfurians who have been residents of Khartoum for many years, claiming that these civilians are rebels. Also Khartoum has declared a curfew, and has put roadblocks in place. The fighting on Saturday has left Khartoum shaken, and it is not overlooking JEM’s threats.

         Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy is disappointed at the news of violence in Khartoum and sends its condolences to the families of those affected. Damanga would also like to stress that violence in Khartoum is not going to bring an end to the conflict in Darfur. Khartoum needs to stop harassing innocent civilians who have no links to JEM, in order to look effective in the public eye. If Khartoum has reason to believe that certain people are members of JEM they ought to bring these people justice through a fair trial. We urge the United States, the United Nations and the international community to pressure Khartoum to release the innocent people in their custody. Finally, we urge the international community to fully deploy all 26,000 peacekeepers and equipment to the UNAMID mission in Darfur, to ensure safety and stability in that region.