The Darfur Cover-Up:
The Sudanese Government launches an extensive media campaign against
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies and
Independent Press!

25 February 2009

Press Release

The Sudanese Embassy in Cairo is currently in the course of launching an extensive media campaign in Egyptian and Arab mass media in the wake of the release and distribution of the documentary "Darfur Destroyed" that was released on February 10, 2009. The documentary, which was created by Aegis Trust, featured credible and documented testimonies and confessions of perpetrators of war crimes committed in Darfur, particularly with regards to the planning, execution, financing as well as those to be held accountable for the perpetration of such crimes.

The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) would like to clarify that the material presented in the film are merely a reflection of the conclusions of international missions and reports, including the reports of the United Nation’s Commission of Inquiry on Darfur. The only new addition it provides is documenting such violations on film. CIHRS affirms that it has reviewed the Arabic version of the film and made it available to Arab mass media.

In this context, rather than providing substantial information that would refute what was presented in the film, the Sudanese Embassy resorted to releasing press statements and comments to newspapers that contain nothing but accusations. Such unfounded accusations were published in Almasry Alyoum (dated 11/2/2009), in Addostour (dated 17/2/2009) and Al-Wafd (dated 11/2/2009). The Embassy further issued press statements and gave interviews in the Gulf Emirates newspaper (dated 12/2/2009), the Kuwaiti News Agency (dated 10/2/2009), and Sudan’s Al-Ahdath newspaper (dated 2/11/2009) as well as other Sudanese newspapers.

CIHRS affirms that this media campaign only aims at diverting public attention from the ongoing crimes being committed in Darfur over the past six years that led to the death of about 300,000, the displacement of some 3 million, not to mention the rape of thousands of women. Furthermore, the campaign accuses those that merely aim to enlighten public opinion on the ongoing atrocities in Darfur of promoting "fabricated" information with the intention of jeopardizing Sudan’s interests and its stability. CIHRS unfortunately got the lion’s share of these accusations. Various websites and newspapers joined the media attack, including "Al-Watany Al-Youm" – the official newspaper of Egypt’s ruling political party – which, on February 17, 2009, described independent newspapers that have published articles on the film as being "funded by Zionist normalization money!" It should be noted that the independent newspapers that published articles on the film are: Al-Badeel, Almasry Alyoum, Alyawm Assabi’, Al-Shorouq, Nahdet Masr and Addostour.

The Sudanese Government’s insistence on shielding its officials from accountability and punishment for the crimes perpetrated in Darfur is nothing but an attempt to distort the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the organizations working with it. The situation in Sudan has deteriorated to such an extend that some human rights activists – such as Amir Seliman, Othman Hemida and Abdel Moneim Aljak – have been detained and tortured for their mere cooperating with the ICC.

In the context of the campaign, the trial of the Sudanese President has been portrayed as posing a threat to the national security of Sudan (and even Egypt) without providing any justification to such claim. Moreover, the campaign failed to recognize the fact that the real threat to Sudan lies in the acts of mass killings, genocide, rape and the mass displacement of the Sudanese people. Displacement on such a large scale has most certainly burdened neighboring countries (including Egypt) and made them pay the price for crimes committed by a regime that has long been waging wars against its people first in the south of Sudan – until it was forced by the international community to bring it to an end – and then in Darfur. Nevertheless, the regime continued to persecute its people in northern Sudan, especially those opposing the launch of "Al-Jihad Al-Muqaddas" (Holy War) in the south and in Darfur.

Over the past six years, the Sudanese Government has persistently denied its responsibility for the ongoing crimes in Darfur and has resorted to means aimed at distorting and obstructing all attempts and efforts exerted by either the United Nations or international organizations to uncover the truth and properly document it. Such efforts included a fact-finding mission set up by the League of Arab States in 2004, which was ultimately forced to withhold its report in compliance with pressures exerted by the Sudanese Government – even though the report came to provide what can only be described as a "soft" criticism to the Sudanese Government. Moreover, the Sudanese Government has completely abandoned promises made to CIHRS whether in an official meeting with Sudanese Minister Ahmed Haroun in January 2006 or in a seminar organized by CIHRS in January 2007. In CIHRS’ seminar in January 2007, Haroun publicly promised to grant CIHRS with an official approval to its request to organize an Arab media campaign to investigate the situation in Darfur as well as to uncover whether what has been widely published by organizations and newspapers alike – that the Sudanese Government describe as being "western" or "in conspiracy with the US and Israel" – are truly reflective of the situation in Darfur. Yet, such promises were quickly abandoned even though Haroun’s public announced in CIHRS’ 2007 seminar was made in the presence of the Sudanese Ambassador in Cairo as he was asked by CIHRS to justify why the Sudanese Government has failed to live up to its promises.

Lastly, the charges brought against Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir by the ICC do not automatically mean his conviction. In fact, such charges should force the Sudanese President to prepare a proper response to these accusations rather than continuing with his mocking attacks on the Court. It is essential in this context that he explains how 10,000 people were killed in Darfur – the recognized death toll figure by Al-Bashir himself as opposed to figures by international reports that put the death toll at a sheer 300,000. He, moreover, needs to identify the nationality of planes used to bomb and burn down hundreds of villages in Darfur and indicate whether they were Israeli, American or Sudanese planes? In fact, he should also explain whether or not such planes were operating under the guidance and knowledge of the Sudanese Government or whether the Sudanese Air Force has perhaps gone out of control and started to act independently during such operations. These are indeed only a handful of questions that only Al-Bashir can answer!