Posted on 07/27/2004 5:18:20 PM PDT by blam
Sudan leaflets vow revenge on foreign troops
By David Blair, Africa Correspondent and Nicola Smith in Brussels
(Filed: 27/07/2004)
The prospect of western troops being sent to Sudan provoked dire warnings of revenge yesterday.
Leaflets were distributed at mosques in the capital, Khartoum, urging Muslims to fight any "crusader" forces.
Men gather around a radio in the Farchana refugee camp
The message, from a previously unknown group calling itself the Army of Mohammed, read: "We have seen and heard of American and British interference in Darfur and there is no doubt that this is a crusader war that bears no relation to the citizens of Darfur. We call upon you to speedily head towards Darfur and dig deep into the ground mass graves prepared for the crusader army."
Although millions of Sudanese are Christians or follow traditional beliefs, groups such as the Army of Mohammed consider the country a part of the Muslim world. Any western military presence on its soil would be regarded as defilement.
Tony Blair has not ruled out sending forces and Gen Sir Mike Jackson, the Chief of the General Staff, says that a brigade of 5,000 soldiers could be dispatched at short notice.
The Islamic fundamentalist government which seized power 15 years ago has condemned any such operation and compared it to the invasion of Iraq.
Mustapha Osman Ismail, the foreign minister, denied that the killings in Darfur, where Arab militias have driven a million black Africans from their homes and left about 30,000 dead, amounted to genocide. He said the conflict could be settled through peaceful dialogue.
The European Union yesterday backed an American threat of sanctions against Sudan, increasing pressure on the government to end the crisis in the region.
Foreign ministers meeting in Brussels appealed to the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution "with a view to taking further action, including imposing sanctions", if the Khartoum government failed to meet its international obligations.
They said: "There are continuing reports about massive human rights violations by the armed militia, including the Janjaweed, including systematic rape of women."
This month Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, imposed a 90-day deadline on Khartoum to rein in pro-government Arab militias, improve security and ensure the access of relief workers to the region.
Mr Ismail claimed that Sudan was making "serious efforts" to restore order in Darfur and that the regime would keep its promise to disarm the Janjaweed gunmen.
"We are doing what is right and we will continue to do what is right," he said. He added that about 100 militiamen had been arrested.
An Oxfam flight with a cargo of pipework, latrines and water purification equipment landed at Nyala, in southern Darfur, to help ease the crisis.
Lorries will take the equipment the remaining nine miles to the Kalma refugee camp, which is home to more than 60,000 people.
If the British or US opened up a can of whoopass on these people, would there be a trashcan big enough to hold the refuse. It'd be a horror that would come upon them so fast and so complete they'd not know what hit them till it's all over. That is my wish, and I don't care to wait till things happen to muslims only.
Someone out there needs to review Churchill's The River War (1896) to see what happens to Sudanese who oppose the West. Although I daresay, alas, we will not be conducting any mass cavalry charges against them this time. More's the pity.
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=4943
I could only foresee such an action under Ronald Reagan and well... he's dead so that's that.
I agree with you.
Thank you ever so much, Mr. Putin, for the recent Russian arms sales to these fine folk. I think I'll puke.
Yup, the guys in Sierra Leone. Maybe it is 'outcome' instead of 'options'.
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