Urgent Statement Sudan's ambassador in Cairo: denying facts and covering of rape crimes

The Arab Coalition for Sudan (ACS) regrets the statement made by Sudan's ambassador in Cairo, D. Abdalmahmoud Abdel Halim, in response to the coalition’s statement on Thursday, the sixth of November, where the Ambassador offended and accused the coalition, over condemnation of the mass rape, committed by the elements of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), against 200 women and minor girls, in the village of Tabit, 45 kilometers south-west of El Fasher city.

Sudan's ambassador repeatedly, described the coalition statement as a lie, heresies and black propaganda, he also accused the coalition of being one the parties which sell the country for the favor of the West and endeavor to tarnish the image of the situation in Darfur and Sudan, in order to destabilize security and stability.

ACS reiterates in this context, that the information contained in that statement, were not lies or malicious rumors, but it came after confirmation and verification of the information from multiple and diverse sources, as ACS used since its foundation in 2008. ACS further, has moral and human rights responsibility, which prohibits it from wasting time in uncertain statements.

During the period from 2003 to 2008, the regime killed 300 thousand people, according to United Nations statistics, and forced hundreds of thousands to resort to asylum and displacement inside and outside Sudan, it also supports armed militias to commit the most heinous crimes as: burning of villages, killing of civilians and systematic raping of women and girls, as well as looting civilians’ properties.


It is expected, that Sudan's ambassador would deny the brutal shameful crime, yet with lack of deterrent punishment, such practices has become systematic, and turned into a weapon utilized in war to break the will… this is what had encouraged a group that belongs to the armed forces, to commit such heinous practices, contrary to their role as protectors of the nation, where their responsibility is to maintain the security and safety of the citizens, not to abuse them.

The Ambassador’s statements, are nothing more than one of the tricks of the regime which represents it best, particularly circumvent of facts and repudiation of the legal and moral responsibility; by continuing to deny the crimes committed against civilians, acquittal of the perpetrators and ignoring their practices to encourage more crimes to sabotage the social fabric, while the regime provides protection to the perpetrators with immunity to impede the implementation of justice.

It should be Mr. Ambassador’s priority, to acknowledge the occurrence of this crime, and to announce the government's willingness to conduct a transparent and fair investigation, which its findings will be declared later. As well as he should reiterate the state’s commitment, to track down the perpetrators, and to bring them before justice, with obligations to provide psychological support to the victims, in order to heal their wounds due to this inhuman tragedy. He should further reassure them of their rights… instead of issuing false and misleading statements, making them feel, they are victims of a double crime, the crime of rape and the lack of recognition of the state over the injustice upon them, not to mention the crime of impunity from punishment, and the failure to achieve justice.

The Sudanese authorities have a long record of human rights violations, its leaders used to deny all crimes committed against civilians, the only exception is when they are under pressure or looking for a political deal, but it does not take long until the truth unfolds through the inconsistencies in the statements of the officials. In this crime particularly, the official spokesperson of the armed forces denied involvement of the army in Tabit village incident, while the garrison commander, Captain Ismail Hamid, at Tabit village area,



acknowledged that his soldiers committed the crime of mass rape, further he asked the people to register the names of the raped women and the injured in order to be received by the military hospital of El Fasher, but the people refused the garrison commander apology and demanded an independent investigation to bring those involved before justice, while Darfur crimes prosecutor said they had field investigations to verify that, though if the ACS statement is "a lie," as Mr. Ambassador claims, why the Department of Justice conduct these investigations ..?

Therefore, the joint mission of the United Nations and the African Union (UNAMID), confirmed that the Sudanese army impeded their access to the victims, here, the question arises over the reasons of impeding the access of the military forces of the UNAMID to the ‘crime’s scene’ since there is no crime! unless they are trying to cover up the reality...?

For his part, the British Minister of Foreign Affairs, called on for immediate investigation about the reports of mass rape in Darfur, how Mr. Ambassador will respond to those demands, will he also say it is ‘lies’ or ‘black propaganda’ …?

Accordingly, ACS after it had ascertained these information, would like to emphasize the accuracy of the information contained in its statement, ACS also renews its condemnation over that heinous crime which is not consistent with morals, humanitarian values and benign traditions of the Sudanese people, and further stresses the necessity to put more pressure upon the regime, in order to conduct an independent investigation.

After the ACS laid those realities, it is the moral burden of Sudan's ambassador in Cairo, as professional, to issue an apology to the Sudanese people, and to the families of the victims, due to the misleading information he published, as well as for not acknowledging the injustice upon the victims.

Mr. Ambassador should further issue an apology to the ACS, which as ever works on the Sudanese crises, according to national premises and without any foreign agendas.

Arabic Forum