From: "Jen Marlowe" < donkeysaddle@...>
To: "rahama deffallah" <rahamad4@...>,
< giddouniversal@...>,
"Karri DeSelm" <kkdeselm@...>
Subject: please help suleiman jamous--and circulate widely!
Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2006 13:26:34 -0700

DARFURIAN SULEIMAN JAMOUS NEEDS OUR HELP! 

PLEASE CIRCULATE THIS WIDELY!

 

Suleiman Jamous, the 60 year old humanitarian coordinator for the SLA, was detained by Minni Minawi�s faction of the SLA on May 20^th. It has now been nearly three weeks, and nobody has seen him or been able to talk to him since. At least ten others were also detained, when they went to the commander who arrested Suleiman to ask for his release. All but one, Isa Ali Hassaballah, were released the next week, after having been beaten, burned with cigarettes, chafed with ropes and publicly humiliated.

 

There is reason to believe that Suleiman Jamous and Isa Ali are in grave danger of being tortured and possibly killed. According to sworn statements by those detained and released, one of Suleiman�s kidnapper said, �I can kill Suleiman anytime I like and can sodomize any of you.�

 

Minawi is telling his backers in the US that Suleiman was �against the peace agreement�. Like many Darfurians, Suleiman may have been critical of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) that Minawi�s faction (alone of the rebel factions) signed with the government of Sudan. However, it is possible that Minawi wants Suleiman �disappeared� because he is worried that Suleiman may speak out in the future about human rights abuses perpetrated by Minawi, or possibly he simply finds Suleiman (a reformist non-tribalist member of the SLA who enjoys much popular support) a threat to his own leadership, which is very lacking in popular support right now.

 

However, what Minawi is lacking in popular support is now being compensated for in international support. As he was the only rebel leader to sign the Darfur Peace Agreement, he is being bolstered by the international community, especially the United States. Unless the United States demands in no uncertain terms that Minawi must release Suleiman Jamous�and that a peace agreement that gets its start by illegally detaining and torturing those who are not in agreement with its terms�can never be supported either by Darfurians on the ground or the international community that is working on their behalf.

 

 Suleiman and Isa Ali have been gone for nearly three weeks; the situation becomes more critical with each passing day.

 

Attached are links with articles giving more background on the story:

 

** Sudan rebels accused of torture **
The BBC has obtained photos which show people who have been tortured by one of Darfur's rebel factions.
< http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/africa/5050636.stm >

 

Reuter�s: Darfur�s Minawi accused of attacking, kidnapping rebel rivals

http://www.sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=16053

 

Please circulate this as widely as possible,

 

Please call and/or email the following people TODAY letting them know that you are very concerned about the well-being of Suleiman Jamous, who have been detained since May 20 by Minni Minawi. That you are concerned about US support for a rebel leader who, only two weeks after signing a peace agreement, begins its implementation by kidnapping, torture and intimidation. That you want to ensure the safe release of the SLA�s humanitarian coordinator, Suleiman Jamous and Isa Ali, detained when inquiring about Suleiman�s arrest.  And that you want Darfurians to be able to build their peace and justice based on universal standards of human rights.  

 

1. Jendayi E. Frazer, the Assistant Secretary for African Affairs

Email of secretary Natasha Greer: greernx@...

Phone: 1-202-547-2530

Fax: 1-202-647-0838

 

2. Robert Zoellick, Deputy Secretary of State

Phone: 1-202-647-9641

Email: depsec@...

 

3. Michael Rannenberger, Head of Sudan Group

Phone: 202-647 4531

Email: (secretary) tejancoca@...

 

3. Jan Pronk, the UN Special Envoy for Sudan

Email: pronk@...

 

4. President George Bush

Email: comments@...

Phone: 202-456-1111

Fax: 202-456-2461

 

5. Your Senator and Congressional Representatives

useful links to locate your representatives:

Congress: http://www.cotton.org/issues/congress-contacts.cfm or http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Senate: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

 

 6. Your local news outlet, pushing them to cover this story

 

If you are willing to incur the cost of sending a text message to a satellite phones in Darfur , you can message the following satellite phones of SLA commanders responsible for detaining/holding Suleiman.  Write your name and country, stating: �Concerned for safety of Jamous and Isa Ali�

1. Omar Suliman Jaheir (+88-216-2128-1436)

2.  Arko Suliman Jaheir (+88-216-2133-6030)

3.  Mohammad Hari (+88-216-333-28557)

4.  Al Fadel al Tijani (+88-216-212-45236)

5. Minni Arcou Minawi, Leader of SLA(MM) (+88-216-215-23864)

 

 

For more information, please feel free to contact Jen Marlowe at donkeysaddle@... or 202.375.3492. (I know Suleiman Jamous from filming in Darfur for the documentary �Darfur Diaries� and was initially informed of his detention from his family, living in Fort Wayne, Indiana .)

 

Jen Marlowe