The Sudanese government appointed an alleged Janjaweed militia leader to a cabinet post. Human rights officials and observers in Washington accuse the appointee, Musa Hilal, with coordinating the Janjaweed militia during Darfur's bloody campaign. Human Rights Watch called on the U.N. Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, to urge the Sudanese president to revoke the appointment. Hilal denies the allegations, saying he led his fellow tribesman in a operation of “popular defense” at the behest of the central government in Khartoum.
Human Rights watched called Hilal the “poster child” for atrocities in the region and said his appointment was a “slap in the face to Darfur victims and to the U.N. Security Council.”
Other observers suspect Hilal may be charged for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. The international court already issued arrest warrants for Ahmed Haroun and Ali Kushayb for war crimes in Darfur. Haroun, ironically, is the humanitarian affairs minister for the Sudanese government.
Supporters of the move, however, say the appointment is worth the risk as Hilal's reputation as a tribal elder makes him an ideal candidate for a position in the central government.
“The transfer of a tribal leader to a political post is a good step which will open the door to more settlements (of disputes),” said one supporter.
When is the international community going to step in here? Either we move on and say that's that, the Darfur atrocity is a thing of the past, let's see what we can do with Khartoum, or we need to get it in gear and seek some reconciliation here. All these cries of “never again” after Rwanda smack of empty rhetoric. It's almost embarrassing to still be writing about the horrors of Darfur. I mean, what, 2.something-million people died during this conflict? Is it oil? Is it Iraq? This is ridiculous and, frankly, getting a bit boring talking about this condemnation from this group and that condemnation from that group when nobody really seems to be doing much more than talking big talk. What happened to Big Stick diplomacy, I want to know? Get it together people. Either we do something at this point, or we don't. Enough is enough.
