شعب السودان ولبنان ..فى الصحافة العالمية

Quote: Daily Star staff BEIRUT: An assault by Lebanese security forces on a number of Sudanese refugees has triggered a wave of anger among Sudanese in Lebanon and abroad. Earlier this month, a unit from the General Security (GS) raided a ballroom where around 150 refugees from different African nationalities were holding a cancer fundraising event in the Beirut district of Ouzai. Many of the attendants were Sudanese, Ethiopian and Somalis, with some lacking legal residence papers and others registered with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). According to As-Safir newspaper on Monday, GS members beat the refugees and shouted racist slurs at them before taking them to GS headquarters. The Sudan Tribune news website quoted on Monday a man named Alaa al-Abdullah as telling Lebanese Elnashra news website that despite being present legally in Lebanon, he and other refugees were forced to lay on their stomachs in the street after blocking car entry into the area. Another eyewitness was quoted as telling a Lebanese newspaper that minutes into the party, heavily armed Lebanese police broke in and started beating them with batons calling them “animals” and “niggers.” According to Sudan Tribune, head of GS Major General Wafiq Jezzini denied that his staff had resorted to force, labeling such news as “lies.” Jezzini said the Sudanese attempted to escape, stressing that only those who lacked legal papers have been detained. The incident has since garnered outrage among Sudanese abroad, despite efforts by the Sudanese embassy in Lebanon to contain repercussions. As-Safir reported that visitors of Sudan Online website have called for boycotting Lebanese products in Sudan “in defense of the dignity of Sudanese that were provoked and humiliated by Lebanese security forces.” Others called for recalling the Sudanese ambassador from Beirut and expelling his Lebanese counterpart in Khartoum, while accusing the Sudanese authorities of neglecting the matter. Several hundreds of Lebanese immigrants to Sudan work in various fields including banking, communication, agriculture and construction. In a bid to defuse anger, Lebanese Ambassador to Sudan Ahmad Shammat held a news conference in Khartoum last week, in which he highlighted the strong Lebanese-Sudanese relations that would not be affected by the behavior “of some security members.” Asked about racist remarks believed to be made by GS staff against the Sudanese refugees, Shammat expressed the Lebanese people’s respect for Sudanese. Regarding calls made by some Sudanese to boycott Lebanese products and shops in Sudan, Shammat said “the situation is not in need of escalation, there are some Sudanese who entered illegally to Lebanon and they should have fixed their status with Lebanese authorities.” Shammat voiced his belief that the situation of illegal Sudanese refugees in Lebanon would be tackled via diplomatic and legal means. He called upon all Sudanese nationals and foreigners in Lebanon to head to the GS General Directory and adjust their status in Lebanon through obtaining legal papers or leaving the country. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Muawiya Othman Khaled accused what he called “organized gangs” of facilitating the illegal entry of hundreds of Sudanese nationals into Lebanon, adding that this was causing problems with Lebanese authorities Meanwhile, Sudan’s Ambassador to Lebanon Idriss Suleiman highlighted the importance of prohibiting the illegal entry of Sudanese to Lebanon, adding that the Sudanese Embassy was following up closely on the Ouzai incident. However, no protests were recorded in Khartoum or other Sudanese cities. (The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)[/QUOTE] http://www.dailystar.com.lb