Khartoum, January 26 (Darfur24)
The leader of the Sudanese Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Jibril Ibrahim Mohamed, has appointed a figure wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to a senior position within the movement, which has been fighting alongside the Sudanese Armed Forces against the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023.
According to a decision obtained by Darfur24, Lieutenant General Abdullah Abkar Banda has been appointed as a military adviser to the movement and a member of its executive office.
Banda is wanted by the ICC on charges of war crimes linked to a September 29, 2007, attack on a base of the African Union–United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) in North Darfur.
He has remained active in military operations alongside the Sudanese army in its fight against the Rapid Support Forces. Banda was injured during battles in Al-Malha, northeast of El Fasher, last March, and was transferred to Merowe before traveling to India for medical treatment. His son, Nasr al-Din, was killed during the same confrontations. Banda later returned to the battlefield in September.
In a separate decision, Jibril Ibrahim also appointed Lieutenant General Tahir Hammad Adam Obeid as the new general commander of the Justice and Equality Movement.
In November 2023, JEM, along with the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Minni Arko Minawi and the Transitional Council led by Salah Rasas, announced that they were ending neutrality and joining the Sudanese army in its war against the Rapid Support Forces.
Meanwhile, JEM’s former political secretary, Suleiman Sandal Haqgar, broke away to form the “New Justice and Equality Movement,” aligning with the Rapid Support Forces alongside the Sudan Liberation Forces Alliance led by Tahir Hajar and the Transitional Council led by Al-Hadi Idris.