Reflections on the 10th Anniversary of the Operation long Arm
By Mahmoud A. Suleiman
Before going into the details of these reflections, I need to define as to what the Operation long Arm (OLA) is about. The (OLA) was the bold Military Operation with which the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) entered Khartoum in Broad Daylight 10 Years ago as of Thursday May 10th 2018. The (OLA) was led by the then its leader late Dr. Khalil Ibrahim Mohmed with the objective of taking the war far from the areas of the population of Darfur, who suffered ethnic cleansing and genocide by the enemy of the ruling regime of the National Islamic Front / National Congress Party led by the evil killer Génocidaire Marshall Omer Hassan Ahmed Bashir, who was waging proxy wars of attrition using the tribal militias Janjaweed while he and his entourage remain safe away from the theater of the war in the capital Khartoum. Thus, the (OLA) was intended among many other objectives the use of the principle of taking the battle head-on into the enemy’s home.
On that Day Saturday the Tenth of May 2008, the Army of the Movement of Dr. Khalil Ibrahim entered the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, cutting 1,600 kilometers to topple the ruling regime of the National Islamic Front (NIF)/(NCP).The movement’s army fought several battles with the government forces of Omar al-Bashir on the long road between the liberated lands and the state of Khartoum was in battles in North Darfur and Kordofan before reaching the outskirts of Khartoum. This is because the military intelligence of the regime is fully aware of the army of Dr. Khalil Ibrahim coming to Khartoum. That military operation codenamed Operation Long Arm (OLA) has been described by analysts and military experts as unprecedented for its boldness and military professionalism. This is in addition to the commitment of the military leadership of the movement of Justice and Equality in the abiding by the International laws and human rights for the safety andrights of civilians during war. Moreover, the avoidance of causing intended damage the health and educational institutions and worship places and drinking water sources. As well as the need for discipline of soldiers and officers of the Movement to implement the articles of the Justice and Equality Movement military laws included in the gazette.
It is time now to find out the Motives and Reasons that made the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) to take the decision to attack the Three Town Capital of Sudan Khartoum and the implementation of the Operation Long Arm (OLA).
The direct factors and reasons that made the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) take the decision to implement the Military (OLA) that entered Khartoum in the backyard of the archenemy National Islamic Front / ruling regime of the National Congress Party include the following:
Description of some events during the (OLA) Operation within and around Khartoum City as described at the time as follows:
ON Saturday May 10th 2008 and around 2 p.m. some 1,000 JEM fighters reached Omdurman the Second largest city in Sudan lying on the western banks of the River Nile, opposite the capital, Khartoum, in a column of about 130 vehicles. JEM forces entered Omdurman from the north through Wadi Seidna military base and from the west. According to local residents, artillery fire could be heard west of Omdurman at around 4 p.m. The main JEM targets appeared to be Arba’een Road (near the Omdurman military base) and Al-Awsat police station, in the town’s center, where JEM stole police vehicles. JEM forces engaged with government forces in several districts including the main market of Souq Libya (Libya market) and residential areas of Umbadda, Al-Thoura and Al-Muhandiseen. Furthermore, the Government forces immediately deployed troops, backed up by tanks and helicopter gunships, to Omdurman. Heavy fighting continued for several hours including in the markets of Al-Souq Al-Sha’bi (Popular market) and Souq Libya in Omdurman. At around 5 p.m. some of the JEM forces started to move towards Al- Ingaz Bridge to cross the White Nile from Omdurman to Khartoum in an apparent bid to take over the Presidential Palace. Another JEM force headed towards the National Radio and Television building in Omdurman. Both attempts were repelled by government forces. Sporadic fighting continued for the next 48 hours spreading to Khartoum’s Al-Souq Al-Arabi (Arabic market), Al-G’abat district and Al-Hurriya Street in Central Khartoum. According to government statements some of the rebels infiltrated the capital and entered residential area wearing civilian clothes. In state television announcement they called on local residents to call a special hotline if they see anyone suspicious in their area. [4] A reward of US$125,000 was also announced in state television asking the public to call a special hotline for information leading to the JEM leader’s capture, which was later doubled to US$250,000.[5] Almost immediately after the attack, mass arrests started to take place across the city, including of members of the JEM forces. On the other hand, the International Response was unanimous represented in the form of condemnation of the attack by JEM with many highlighting the negative implications the attack will have on the situation in Darfur in addition to undermining the international efforts to bring a resolution to the conflict.https://www.hrw.org/report/2008/06/16/crackdown-khartoum/mass-arrests-torture-and-disappearances-may-10-attack
The International News media Headlines at the time included: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ten+of+may+2008+is+the+date+of+justice+and+equality+movement+forces+entererd+khartoum&oq=ten+of+may+2008+is+the+d
It is fair to state that in spite of lack of achieving the primary goal for the Sudanese Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) for the onslaught attack of Khartoum on the 10th May 2008 was to oust the regime led by the Génocidaire Marshall Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir and his criminal entourage , the (OLA) has caused resounding repercussions worldwide and instilled fear among the members of the regime of the Islamists, who fled and ran to the faraway areas from Khartoum to protect themselves as they realized that they are not safe from the hands of the people that attack them at any moment. In addition to the message by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) to Omer al-Bashir and his regime who are just tigers of paper that can be burned and removed with a degree of composure and the solidarity of the political opposition, both armed and civil faction. Last and by no means least, that the message had reached the International Community that people’s rights for decent life are above those of the oppressive dictatorial regime supported by the former Colonial Master countries and they must take into account the rights of the people of the country under the oppression of authoritarian regimes should cease despite the intersecting interests with the enemies of those peoples.
Operation Long Arm (OPL) which marks the 10th Anniversary as of May the 10th 2018 represents for the marginalised Sudanese people as a unique epic of struggle that deserves to be written in our history for ourselves and for the generations who grew up after the epic and those will come in the future. Therefore, it is onus upon us to document it and we really had to do so, given the current situation in which the Sudanese citizens continue languishing under the quagmire of crises created by the regime is making every possible to annihilate whoever opposes its abjectly failed plans and the criminal efforts to draft a new constitution to allow the Génocidaire Omer al-Bashir to run for a third term in the alleged 2020 elections. The National Islamic Front (NIF)/National Congress Party (NCP) regime elements are masters of deception and lying. This is because of its corrupt parasitic nature. This regime does not have any options and cannot get out of its total crisis, simply because it does not have any strategic plan to get out of the mess it has deliberately created on the grounds of institutional corruption and its criminal mind set. Many international human rights bodies urge the Sudanese authorities to respect and guarantee the right to freedom of expression as provided for in article 39 of the Interim National Constitution of 2005, AKA Naivasha Agreement Constitution and international and human rights treaties and laws that Sudan is a state party to.
The tenth day of May should not be in vain for the people of Sudan without remembering the entry of the legions of the Justice and Equality Movement of Sudan into the hiding place of the genocidal fugitive of international justice Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir and his corrupt cortege. Let us make the 10th of May of every Year a National Day Celebrated by the Masses of the Sudanese public as a pivotal Station in the Struggle of our Patriotic Individuals from our Nation as Part of the History of Struggle against the enemies of the decent peaceful life of the civilians of our Country, Sudan that has been Robbed through deception by the Hypocritical Gangsters who Claimed Monopoly of Islam and Tried to isolate and distract the country’s citizens away from the issue of concern. The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) attempted to place a wedge among the components of Sudanese society in order to divide them and rule. The revival of the Tenth Anniversary of the Operation Long Arm (OLA) will facilitate in the awakening of the grievances of the Oppressed and deprived of rights to recover them whether the regime like it or not. The Sudanese people are no longer tolerating any policies presented to them as a fait accompli.
The Sudanese people are asking the components of Sudan’s political opposition, both civilian and armed, what are their immediate practical plans to overthrow the ruling regime of the National Congress Party for the sake of liberating the homeland from the omen and the accurse these criminal tyrants brought to the nation, which has become under threat of as to exist or not, given the evidence of the split the southern part of it in 2010? Thus, many questions impose themselves in today’s grim such bad conditions and current crisis experienced, the Sudanese citizens ask as to what Sudanese political Oppositions will present in these circumstances in their role as opposition components representatives of their constituents. The ruling regime of the International Muslim Brotherhood Movement (MBM) Khartoum branch will be increasing its arbitrariness to inflict the greatest harm on the people of Sudan to silence the voices calling for the overthrow of the National Congress Party (NCP) regime led by the genocidal criminal, the fugitive from the international justice wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague, infamous, Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir, the tyrant who led the country into bankruptcy by corruption and nepotism and looting the savings of the central bank and the country’s wealth of gold and oil and at a time he decided to run for Presidency in the alleged 2020 elections to protect himself against the fate that awaits him because of his accumulated crimes during the lean 29 years of his arbitrary dictatorship? Furthermore, Darfur remains a death trap for civilians through the absurd civil wars of attrition that have been waged by the National Congress Party (NCP)/ National Islamic Front (NIF) and going on without ending since 2003 when the rebels took up arms to comfort the NCP/NIF regime which said it would not negotiate with those who did not carrying arms. Now the regime feels at rest with the financial and political support it receives from the European Union (EU) in exchange for curbing the flow of migrants coming from the Horn of African Countries, new rapprochement with the US Administration under President Donald Trump and the support of Russia and China at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the collusion of protection of the African Union (AU) with the Génocidaire al-Bashir against the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant and let alone the position of the Arab League, the League of Arab States on the contrary, their member countries remained staunchly supportive of the genocidal Omer Hassan Ahmed al-Bashir providing safe haven for him during his shuttle travels, to defy and challenge the authority of the (ICC) to provide ways to escape from international justice.
Still more crimes will be added to previous heinous ones include:
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/war-yemen-modern-day-vietnam-saudi-led-coalition-1829110718
Nevertheless, there is no dictatorship in this world that will last forever. There is no doubt that Oppressive regimes will be ousted no matter how long they have lasted as it happened in many neighboring countries. The best examples were the Libya’s Gaddafi, Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh and Tunis’ ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and many others in modern history.
We are determined and have resolved to call all the honourable people to continue confronting this decrepit regime, to all cities, countryside and neighborhoods throughout the dear country, to form and move its committees for the sake of Intifada and salvation. The reality now confirms that there is no choice but to topple the National Congress Party (NCP) regime and declare the popular uprising. The foregoing methods of action will culminate into the political strike and total civil disobedience. Thus, there will be no room for all the reasons for the so-called dialogue with the regime, and any such reasons are only calls for prolonging the life of the corrupt genocidal regime. The Demise of the NCP regime will be followed by Transitional justice to heal wounds and restore rights and to hold criminals accountable for the crimes they have perpetrated in Darfur and elsewhere and hand over the fugitives from international justice to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague in the Netherlands.
And victory will be for the Sudanese people, God willing. Greetings to those who remain locked up by the regime in the prison cells. And Glory to the martyrs and Victory is the ally of our brave people. And No sleep in the eyes of the cowards and the traitors! May the Eyes of the Cowards Never Sleep! It is our obligation to struggle as long as we are living but the ghosts of our six hundred thousand dead implore us to endure our struggle for justice and freedom, no matter how long that will take as long as the tears of the survivors of the Darfur genocide are still shedding. There is a noticeable gap yarning between rhetorical support to prevent atrocities and to take effective action in response to the increasing numbers of crimes.
William Shakespeare who was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, The United Kingdom and an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist and often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon” has been quoted as saying: ““Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/947.William_Shakespeare
https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/278178-measure-for-measure
― William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure
Percy Bysshe Shelley the radical poet, polemicist and political activist and one of the major English romantic poets has been quoted as delivered these verses of his revolutionary rhyming poetry:
Rise like lions after slumber
In unfathomable number
Shake your chains to earth like dew
That in sleep have fallen on you
Ye are many, they are few.
http://www.counterfire.org/revolutionary/16066-rise-like-lions-after-slumber-revolutionary-shelley
Dr. Mahmoud A. Suleiman is an author, columnist and a blogger. His blog is http://thussudan.wordpress.com/