Sudan’s defense minister expelled foreign media from a news conference on Wednesday and compared them to “terrorists," saying that they had fabricated the three-year-old conflict in Darfur.
Sudan’s government has intensified a media campaign against foreigners and the United Nations, ahead of a possible decision by the African Union to transfer their forces in the war-torn Darfur region to a U.N. peacekeeping mission.
Khartoum violently opposes U.N. forces being deployed to the western Darfur region, where almost 7,000 African troops are facing funding and logistical difficulties protecting civilians from attacks by militias and rebel forces.
Tells foreign correspondents to 'get out'
“Any foreign correspondent, from any foreign agency, get out — we don’t want you in here,” said Defense Minister Abdel Rahim Mohamed Hussein.
Tens of thousands have been killed and more than 2 million forced from their homes during a widespread campaign of rape, killing and looting in remote Darfur, violence Washington has called genocide.
Khartoum denies genocide but the International Criminal Court is investigating alleged war crimes there.
Egypt’s al-Ahram newspaper, Arab Al Jazeera television and even Sudanese journalists representing foreign news agencies were forced to leave the room.
All the foreign journalists had been called and invited to the news conference. Hussein also ejected all television crews and refused to allow journalists to use recording devices.
He compared foreign journalists in Sudan to “terrorists” and said: “The international media has escalated the problem ... because they sent incorrect information.”
Decision expected soon
African foreign ministers were due to meet on Friday to decide on a transition to a U.N. force in Darfur, but delayed the meeting a week, which some AU officials said was due to top AU diplomats having other commitments abroad.
But the top U.N. envoy in Sudan, Jan Pronk, said on Tuesday the AU may be having second thoughts about the transfer given Khartoum’s fierce opposition.
He said Sudanese in Khartoum feared fighters from the militant al Qaeda organization would flood into the country, as they had in Iraq, if a U.N. force including Western contingents was deployed in Darfur.
But Hussein warned no matter what the cost, U.N. troops would not be deployed to Darfur.
“Darfur will become the graveyard for the United Nations and foreign intervention,” he said.
He added the Sudanese government would provide additional support needed by the African Union force in Darfur. The AU says it has funds only up to the end of March to continue operations.
Hussein also said if the AU could not do the job in Darfur, they should remove their troops to be replaced with the Sudanese armed forces.