Musa Hilal
Encyclopedia
Musa Hilal was born in 1961. His family exercised tribal leadership of the Arab Mahameed clan in Darfur. He is Sudan
ese Arab
Janjaweed
militia
leader and adviser to the Sudanese minister of internal affairs. The Janjaweed
militia were responsible for a massive military campaign against civilians in Darfur in 2003, as part of a counterinsurgency effort against Darfur rebel groups. On 21 January 2008, the Federal Government of Sudan announced the nomination of Musa Hilal as the chief advisor of the Ministry of Federal Affairs in Sudan. This position allows Mr. Hilal to coordinate with regional leaders surrounding Darfur, as well as with Arab tribal groups, on the relations of the military regime. This political position further permits the military leader power over decisions made in Khartoum pertaining the recruitment of Janjaweed militias.
militias, although he consistently denies that he is part of the military chain of command of the Janjaweed
. He claims to be merely an influential sheikh in the area. In his own words: "It is a lie. Janjaweed is a thief. A criminal. I am a tribal leader, with men and women and children who follow me. How can they all be thieves and bandits? It is not possible." He also reported in an interview by Human Rights Watch
on 27 September 2004: "... I am not a criminal. Thank God I’m not afraid. I’ve never had any fear. If there’s a concrete complaint and an investigation is opened against me, I can go to court -- nobody is above the law -- but not because of allegations made by Ali al Haj and Khalil Ibrahim
, who are rebel leaders, who make up dark information and give to the UN, and they put my name on the list. That’s not right." Hilal also claims that actions by the Janjaweed
are organized and directed from the federal government in Khartoum
under Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. In a video interview with Human Rights Watch, Musa Hilal stated that the attacks by the militia were directly ordered by the Sudanese government, and noted that “all of the people in the field are led by top army commanders…These people get their orders from the Western command center, and from Khartoum.”
According to noted Sudan scholar Alex de Waal
, "Mr. Hilal's claim that he has no control over any militia does not bear scrutiny... He is at the center of all of this." In letters to government officials and other tribal leaders, Sheikh Musa Hilal has repeatedly said his fighters are engaged in a jihad
, or holy war, and will not disarm even if the government demands it. "We will not retreat," he wrote in one such letter in 2004 to the leaders in Khartoum, "we continue on the road of jihad
." Trying to disarm his men, he wrote, would be "cowardly," and impossible to enforce. Another communique from Sheikh Hilal's headquarters in 2004, obtained by de Waal, demanded the militias to "change the demography
of Darfur and empty it of African tribes."
The international pressure that has been building up over the Sudanese government to address the attacks against civilians may force the government to give up Musa Hilal to international authorities. Musa Hilal is said to hold enough information to pose a threat to the Sudanese government if the latter were to turn against him. Thus, the Sudanese government has often dismissed international criticism regarding its decision to promote Musa Hilal to adviser to Federal Affairs Minister Abdel Basit Sabderat. Sudanese President Al Bashir was quoted as saying, “[Musa Hilal] contributed greatly to stability and security in the region.”
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
ese Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
Janjaweed
Janjaweed
The Janjaweed is a blanket term used to describe mostly gunmen in Darfur, western Sudan, and now eastern Chad...
militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
leader and adviser to the Sudanese minister of internal affairs. The Janjaweed
Janjaweed
The Janjaweed is a blanket term used to describe mostly gunmen in Darfur, western Sudan, and now eastern Chad...
militia were responsible for a massive military campaign against civilians in Darfur in 2003, as part of a counterinsurgency effort against Darfur rebel groups. On 21 January 2008, the Federal Government of Sudan announced the nomination of Musa Hilal as the chief advisor of the Ministry of Federal Affairs in Sudan. This position allows Mr. Hilal to coordinate with regional leaders surrounding Darfur, as well as with Arab tribal groups, on the relations of the military regime. This political position further permits the military leader power over decisions made in Khartoum pertaining the recruitment of Janjaweed militias.
Janjaweed
Hilal has acknowledged his role in the recruitment of JanjaweedJanjaweed
The Janjaweed is a blanket term used to describe mostly gunmen in Darfur, western Sudan, and now eastern Chad...
militias, although he consistently denies that he is part of the military chain of command of the Janjaweed
Janjaweed
The Janjaweed is a blanket term used to describe mostly gunmen in Darfur, western Sudan, and now eastern Chad...
. He claims to be merely an influential sheikh in the area. In his own words: "It is a lie. Janjaweed is a thief. A criminal. I am a tribal leader, with men and women and children who follow me. How can they all be thieves and bandits? It is not possible." He also reported in an interview by Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
on 27 September 2004: "... I am not a criminal. Thank God I’m not afraid. I’ve never had any fear. If there’s a concrete complaint and an investigation is opened against me, I can go to court -- nobody is above the law -- but not because of allegations made by Ali al Haj and Khalil Ibrahim
Khalil Ibrahim
Dr. Khalil Ibrahim is the leader of the Zaghawa-dominated Darfurian rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement . -History:Ibrahim is from the Koba branch of the Zaghawa ethnic group, which is located mainly in Sudan, with a minority on the Chad side of the border...
, who are rebel leaders, who make up dark information and give to the UN, and they put my name on the list. That’s not right." Hilal also claims that actions by the Janjaweed
Janjaweed
The Janjaweed is a blanket term used to describe mostly gunmen in Darfur, western Sudan, and now eastern Chad...
are organized and directed from the federal government in Khartoum
Khartoum
Khartoum is the capital and largest city of Sudan and of Khartoum State. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile flowing north from Lake Victoria, and the Blue Nile flowing west from Ethiopia. The location where the two Niles meet is known as "al-Mogran"...
under Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. In a video interview with Human Rights Watch, Musa Hilal stated that the attacks by the militia were directly ordered by the Sudanese government, and noted that “all of the people in the field are led by top army commanders…These people get their orders from the Western command center, and from Khartoum.”
According to noted Sudan scholar Alex de Waal
Alex de Waal
Alexander William Lowndes de Waal is a British writer and researcher on African issues. He was a fellow of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative at Harvard University, as well as program director at the Social Science Research Council on AIDS in New York City...
, "Mr. Hilal's claim that he has no control over any militia does not bear scrutiny... He is at the center of all of this." In letters to government officials and other tribal leaders, Sheikh Musa Hilal has repeatedly said his fighters are engaged in a jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
, or holy war, and will not disarm even if the government demands it. "We will not retreat," he wrote in one such letter in 2004 to the leaders in Khartoum, "we continue on the road of jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
." Trying to disarm his men, he wrote, would be "cowardly," and impossible to enforce. Another communique from Sheikh Hilal's headquarters in 2004, obtained by de Waal, demanded the militias to "change the demography
Demography
Demography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
of Darfur and empty it of African tribes."
Accusations
Musa Hilal has been accused of inciting ethnic conflicts in some areas in Darfur. In the 1990s, he was imprisoned on criminal charges, which included the murder of 17 people of African descent, and the robbery of the Central Bank of Nyala. In 2003 Musa Hilal was sent to prison in Port Sudan by the governor of North Darfur, but was released in April 2003 supposedly on vice-president Ali Osman Taha’s orders and given the authority to recruit and command militia forces. After his release Musa Hilal settled in Kebkabiya, where he supposedly organized a meeting to recruit Arab tribesmen from Awlad Rashid, Ireqat and Um Jalul. He is the leader of the Um Jalul tribe, which plays a major role in the attacks in Darfur. He has been named by victims, witnesses of the attacks, and member of the armed force, as second in command of the Janjaweed militias, “border intelligence brigade,” in Misteriya. He was reported to have met numerous times with militia leaders to coordinate other village attacks. Musa Hilal has also been accused of kidnapping women and keeping them imprisoned in West Misteriya, at Jebel Jur Hilal. In 2006, the United Nations imposed travel and financial bans on Musa Hilal. Musa Hilal was quoted as saying, “the travel ban - that would be a humiliation. I am a tribal leader. My reputation comes above anything and everything.” On February 27, 2008, Mr. Reeves reported the destruction of 30 villages, the assassination of 200 people, the rape of over 200 girls and women, and the kidnapping of 150 women and 200 children. These actions, Reeves argued, were executed by Janjaweed militias under direct order of militia leader, Musa Hilal.The international pressure that has been building up over the Sudanese government to address the attacks against civilians may force the government to give up Musa Hilal to international authorities. Musa Hilal is said to hold enough information to pose a threat to the Sudanese government if the latter were to turn against him. Thus, the Sudanese government has often dismissed international criticism regarding its decision to promote Musa Hilal to adviser to Federal Affairs Minister Abdel Basit Sabderat. Sudanese President Al Bashir was quoted as saying, “[Musa Hilal] contributed greatly to stability and security in the region.”
External links
- "In Sudan, 'a Big Sheik' Roams Free" by Emily Wax, The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, July 18, 2004 - "Darfur: Militia Leader Implicates Khartoum", Human Rights WatchHuman Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
, 2005 - "Darfur Notebook: Death in the Desert" by Jonathan Karl, ABC NewsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
's Nightline, 2 May 2005 (with interview notes of Hilal) - "Janjaweed 'leader' denies genocide" BBC NewsBBC NewsBBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
's Panorama, 14 November 2004