Arrest of Darfur militia chief may lead to intra-tribe fighting in Sudan
khartoum — By arresting Darfur’s powerful militia chief Musa Hilal, Khartoum has tightened its control over Sudan’s strife-torn region but analysts say it might open a new chapter of violence.
Hilal, a former aide to President Omar Al Bashir, was arrested last week by Sudan’s counter-insurgency forces near his hometown of Mustariaha in North Darfur state after fierce clashes that left several dead.
“This is a dangerous moment actually,” Magnus Taylor, Sudan analyst with the think-tank International Crisis Group, said.
“By taking out Musa Hilal, they have pitched two different Darfuri clans against each other.”
Hilal, the top leader of the Mahamid clan of Darfur’s biggest tribe, the Rezeigat, was captured by a unit of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by other members of the broader Rezeigat tribe.
“This is the start of intra-fighting, this is only the beginning,” said Ahmed Adam, a research associate at London University. “No doubt, Hilal’s arrest will impact the security and stability of Darfur.”
During the initial years of the Darfur conflict that erupted in 2003, militias fought alongside government forces against the region’s rebels. Hilal then led the governmentallied Janjaweed militia.
“The previous dynamic in Darfur was militia versus Darfur rebel groups violence,” Taylor said. “Now the most dangerous element is inter-militia violence.”
Hilal is subject to a United Nations travel ban and on a list of individuals sanctioned for “human rights atrocities” during the early years of the conflict.
Khartoum now insists that the conflict has ended, and it has even launched a campaign to disarm militias operating there.
Analysts say the disarmament campaign is primarily aimed at weakening Hilal — who according to a UN report controls several gold mines in Darfur — after a rift with Khartoum.
“It is mainly about containing or liquidating Musa Hilal, as well as targeting other communities and the internally displaced persons,” said Adam, adding that Khartoum had armed these militias in the first place. — AFP