To follow up on the previous post which contained some stark and unsettling news about the Government of Sudan’s questionable motivations behind its crackdown, we want to take a minute to look behind the motivations of the rebel group behind making this attack to begin with.
The following Washington Post article raises several interesting points about the rebel group JEM, a selection from which is as follows:
The numerous Darfur rebel groups have been accused of obstructing progress toward a negotiated settlement as they have become increasingly fragmented.
Of all the rebel groups, JEM has emerged as the fiercest fighting force. It is led by Khalil Ibrahim, who is accused by some of harboring an Islamist agenda at odds with the cause of the other rebel groups.
Alex de Waal, an analyst with the Social Science Research Council in New York, said that JEM’s loyalties lie more with Chad than with Darfurians and that its advance into Khartoum "changes the game." He predicted that the attack would derail what little progress has been made toward a negotiated settlement and provoke a crackdown in Khartoum in coming days.
"We can only fear the worst," he said. "They will be going house to house . . . and people will be rounded up. It’s going to be very ugly, I fear."