General Coordinator of Darfur IDP camps, Yagoub Feri, welcome to Darfur 24. Today, we have come to Kalma IDP camp so as to listen to your views on some issues.
Yesterday, Hamadouk was in El Fasher, where he sent a clear message to IDPs assuring them that any peace process that does not accommodate the issues of IDPs is incomplete … How do you view this vision?We were pleased with Hamdouk’s visit to El Fasher and the IDP camps, and we have full confidence in him, but for us as IDPs the a real government still does not exist, but Hamdouk , is our brother and dear and we have great confidence in him, he can be President of the Republic in the future , but this is not his time.
What is your problem as IDPs , if this is your position regarding Hamadouk’s government ?We see that, until now there are no freedoms, and may be even for him as prime minister, he does not have a total freedom that allows him to discharge the policies that transfer the country to a better situation.
In your opinion, who limits the freedom of the Prime Minister to perform his duties in order to achieve the goals of the revolution ..?
The people around him, because so far, the existing offices, especially in all the states, are affiliated with the former regime, and nothing has changed in the states. There is a limited change in the center, and that little change means nothing , compared to the general situation in Sudan.
Do you mean , the states are still ruled by the previous regime ..?
Certainly, no doubt, everyone knows that, in reality nothing has changed. For us as Kalma IDPs ,until now , we are not able to enter Nyala due to the false, malicious, and politically motivated arrest warrants issued for those who support IDP issues in the camp. However, anyone who gives information in such an interview, is considered an enemy , and the government files fabricated and malicious case against whoever behaves in such a way. Meanwhile, police and prosecutors allow such procedures to go a head, because, they are not aware of what is really taking place in the IDP camps, that is why you see, arrest warrants have been issued for me , Yagoub and other six IDP leaders as well as others that their names and numbers are not mentioned. , ‘Please give me your attention, it’s written in the arrest warrant, unlimited number. However, If they had written names of 500 or one thousand people we would have known the figure that they mean, but, it’s an open arrest warrant, it’s not even reasonable.
When were these arrest warrant issued ?
They were issued during intensification of the revolution on 6 April, on the very day of the sit-in that was staged near the General Command of Armed Forces . Our protest coincided with the demonstration of all the Sudanese people, the only difference is that, we in the camp took to the street at 8 am while the people in Khartoum started at 1 pm. It’s worth mentioning that , on the day of the sit-in , our first female martyr was killed in Khamsa Dagayig IDP camp in Zalengei, the capital of Central Darfur, but unfortunately, she was not commemorated like the other martyrs of the glorious revolution .
The Sudanese people should have paid tribute to her , like the rest of the martyrs of the glorious revolution. We the IDPs are Sudanese and revolutionaries like them, and we are part of the change that has taken place , . We were very happy on the day of the fall of Al-Bashir. On the very day of the collapse of Albashir regime, the IDPs were overwhelmed by joy to the extent that they shed tears for the victory achieved.
The former governor, Adam Al-Faki, had recruited people inside the camp and spoke on the radio and said ,”we assigned people inside the Kalma camp to collect information”, and swore to God that he would “dismantle ” the camp. However, the very people that recruited by Adam Al-Faki inside the camp, attacked us on the day of the victory of the revolution and the fall of Albashir and went back to Nyala. The next day, they returned to the camp on Rapid Support Forces vehicles, wearing military uniform (Kaki), They arrested 12 people from the camp, took them to the Rapid Support forces Camp and later released them after they seriously wounding them. Hence, we are asking for formation of an independent commission of inquiry from Khartoum or other states to find out who were behind the peaceful demonstrations on April 6 and who attacked the demonstrators, then, the party responsible for the attack and the damage caused to the demonstrators should shoulder the problem.
And if it is proven that the group of Yagoub Feri was behind the attack on the demonstrators, then, we will fully shoulder the responsibility of any person died or injured, and if it is proven that we called for a peaceful demonstration and the other party attacked us, then the latter also bear responsibility as well, Because, shooting at peaceful demonstrators in a camp that we all live in, means that , you are shooting at your family members and your neighbors in the camp.
You are saying that, those who attacked you were wearing Rapid Support Forces uniform, and you mentioned earlier that they are part of the camp, what is your take on that?
We can prove that these people are IDPs belonging to Rapid support Forces , and a few days ago they were summoned to Khartoum prior to the start of Juba negotiations. They said they want to join the peace process and make security arrangements for their 300 armed affiliates. However, if a person is displaced and comes to the government and says he wants to implement arrangements for his militants, What does that mean ..?
Returning to the statements of the Prime Minister with respect to peace in Sudan, how do you evaluate his vision ..?
So far, Hamdouk is doing excellent , and on my capacity as coordinator of the 174 IDP camps in Darfur, I only speak after consultation with IDPs in Darfur. We have agreed that he is good and he can represent Sudan, but, not for the time being. We hope that he can become president of the republic in the future, because his thinking is good for us. He needs informed people to work with him, soldiers should be deployed to the boarder to maintain security, while civilians can work in the field of law and development to enable others benefit from their expertise.
But the military is part of Sudanese society and they have a role in this revolution..?
Yes, they stood with the revolution, but the military always give instructions. That means, we as IDPs, if we agree with a military governor on a certain issue today, the next day he can get instructions from his superior in Khartoum, then he can come to me as an IDP and tell me that, I don’t know what we have agreed upon. Therefore, we don’t have confidence in any military guy whether he is a governor or any other government official. In addition, civilian are anxious in their dealings with the military officials in public work. We want to the military to treat us like the way parents treat their kids, if a problem a rise among the kids, the latter can resort to parents for solution.
You see, we appreciated their stance with the people during the sit- in that took place in front of the premises of the General Command of the Sudanese Armed Forces. Had they not intervened, more martyrs would have been killed. It’s to be noted that with their assistance the current change has taken place. We don’t want them to mislead us, to take their own and ours. We, as IDPs, want the armed forces to move away from politics and stick to their military role , then we can give them respect and appreciation. For us, the military are our enemies, and we hate their brutality.
What do IDPs want from the government of Hamdok?
First, we want him to secure for us a return to our villages, because, there is no economy without work. Moreover, the plan of the Hamdok’s government cannot address the problems of the economy unless IDPs play a role in it. Therefore, the problem of the economy cannot be solved until IDPs go back to their villages of origin. However, that does not mean we underestimate the role of the other segments of Sudanese society, but the Internally Displaced People( IDPs) and refugees have abilities that even other countries have benefited from, so it is better for Sudan to take advantage of such capabilities.