Western Rivalry in Africa Escalates Darfur Crisis

Ahmed Abdurrahman Mohammed, Secretary-General of the Sudan Friendship of International Nations Council told Zaman that the 21-year old war between the Sudanese government and southern Sudan has never been brought to the agenda of the United Nations (UN) even though over two million people have lost their lives.

Mohammed said one must be naïve to think that Western countries have focused on Darfur just because they are considerate of the people in the region. "In the past, we have seen bloodier incidents in Rwanda, Zaire, and many other parts of Africa aside from South Sudan and millions of people have died. Right now, a similar case is being experienced in Iraq where the US kills many civilians every day. Many people die every day in Palestine. Where are the genocide resolutions? Where are the calls for humanity?" asks Mohammed regarding the stance of the Western powers.

The Secretary-General put forth the theory that western countries are racing to control the region and divide the country. He claims the French military deployed in Chad constantly controls the Sudanese border and is on alert for a possible Anglo-Saxon movement.

Mohammed disclosed that the region has rich resources in addition to its strategic position and said oil leads the list of resources. According to him, the region is also rich in uranium and iron. All the neighboring countries and regions have rich resources and Darfur is in the middle of it all, says Mohammed.

Sudan’s opposition party led by Hasan Al-Turabi ferments instability and his close connections with the Justice, Equality Movement (JEM) which is active in the region are well known, adds Mohammed.

The Sudanese Secretary-General said that the western media constantly reflects the views of the anti-governmental groups and opponents and said allegations that "so-called" humanitarian aid organizations are against the Sudanese administration have been placed by those media groups. He continued: "What has been going on in the region is definitely not reflected correctly. Since everyone is armed in the region, people without weapons are trying to escape to safer places. The perpetrators who attack locals are described as "janjaveed" and then the government is blamed for it, but the "janjaveed" are actually looters from many different groups."