Amsterdam, Asharq Al-Awsat- Dr. Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the rebel Justice and Equality Movement [JEM] in Darfur, launched a scathing verbal attack on Scott Gretion, US Special Envoy to Sudan, over the report that he presented to the US Congress’s Foreign Relations Committee last week. Ibrahim described Gretion as naive and said that he works as the foreign minister of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. Ibrahim threatened to discontinue cooperation with Gretion if the latter continues his policies, which, he said, are supportive of Khartoum against the Darfur population.
Ibrahim called on Washington to change its envoy and appoint a more competent one in his place. On the other hand, he called on the displaced people and refugees to organize demonstrations to express their rejection of Gretion’s statements.
Speaking with Asharq Al-Awsat from Darfur by telephone, Ibrahim said that his movement and the Darfur population are unhappy with Gretion’s report to the US Congress’s Foreign Relations Committee last week in which he called for easing the sanctions on Khartoum. Ibrahim added that Gretion’s report harms the sidelined ones, the Sudan issue in Darfur, and the peace agreement in the south.
He said: “He is a naive man, and he is in a hurry to reach conclusions. He takes his information from one party, the government of Al-Bashir. After presenting this report, he is now considered the foreign minister of Al-Bashir, not a representative of US President Barack Obama.”
Ibrahim said Gretion’s statement that there is no intelligence evidence of Sudan’s connection with terrorism is false. He added that the Khartoum government attempted to bring in terrorists by way of tribes that refused this move. He continued: “Khartoum currently gives weapons to the terrorists in Somalia, and this is a known fact.”
Ibrahim threatened to stop cooperation and communication with Gretion. He said: “If Gretion continues his policies against the sidelined ones and the Darfur population, we will not cooperate with him. We will not meet with him in the future if he continues to be biased toward Khartoum.”
Ibrahim said that Gretion implements the Sudanese Government’s plans, not his country’s policies. He added that Gretion lacks a policy and works to destroy the Darfur issue by inviting the persons whom he considers movements.
Ibrahim said: “From our observation of the man, he works to liquidate the Darfur issue in favor of Al-Bashir and the criminals in Khartoum because he began his initiatives with the regime’s proposal for a cease-fire. He announced it before meeting with us.”
Ibrahim said the US envoy does not seek peace but wants to consolidate Al-Bashir’s rule through forged elections in the absence of the JEM and the Darfur population. He added that the US envoy attempts to move Al-Bashir away from the International Criminal Court. He noted that Gretion failed to pressure the Sudanese Government to implement the Doha agreement, which it signed with the JEM in February.
Ibrahim said that Gretion contradicts Obama regarding the genocide in Darfur. He added that Obama openly spoke about the existence of genocide in his speech before the Ghanaian Parliament in May, but Gretion defends the Al-Bashir regime and explicitly contradicts Obama’s statement.
Ibrahim said that his movement and the Darfur population advise US President Barack Obama to dismiss his envoy, Scott Gretion, and appoint a more competent one who is familiar with the nature of the issue.