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Hawwa Yousef is still haunted by the memories of the day when armed men on horseback swept through her village in the Darfur region of Sudan in 2004, killing many villagers, including her son.
President Omar al-Bashir then unleashed the infamous Janjaweed militia in ethnic minority villages like his as part of a scorched earth campaign aimed at eliminating support for rebels who had taken up arms. 39, previous year.
Now that Bashir is behind bars in a Khartoum prison after being overthrown by the army last week, Yousef is determined to see him brought to justice.
"The regime's militia attacked while the women were collecting water for their families and their livestock," said the 70-year-old woman, who is still living in a resettlement camp.
"The villagers tried to sue the gunmen, but they killed eight villagers, including my son," she told AFP in the sprawling camp of Kalma, near Nyala, the capital of the country. 39, State of South Darfur.
"I want Bashir to face justice, he's a criminal."
Fifteen years later, hundreds of thousands of Darfuris who have lost their loved ones, their homes and their livelihoods during the brutal crackdown ordered by Bashir and his collaborators, are still living in miserable conditions. camps.
Some 300,000 people were killed when the fearsome tribal militia, which traveled great distances on horseback or camel, eliminated anyone suspected of providing support to the rebels.
Some 2.5 million people were crammed into makeshift relocation camps as the militia depopulated large areas of Darfur, a region the size of France, burning villages and crops, stealing or killing livestock.
Arab pastoralists recruited from the Janjawid had long been an enmity to sedentary minority groups living in the fertile highlands of the region that Bashir and his lieutenants had ruthlessly exploited.
"True peace"
While the leaders of the Khartoum demonstration seek to establish a civilian leadership body to replace the current transitional military council, the dominant demand in Darfur is that justice be done for Bashir and his henchmen.
Kahdija Yusef, still living in the resettlement camp where she found shelter after the destruction of the village by the dreaded militia, said that only justice for Bashir and his henchmen can bring real peace to Sudan. By – (AFP)
"I want to see Bashir in court," said Yousef's daughter, Khadija. "If the new government wants a real peace, we want it to be brought to court.
"There was a pregnant woman who begged to be released, but they shot her – they killed her and her baby right there."
Bashir, 75, is being prosecuted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide related to his government's reaction to the rebellion in Darfur.
He has repeatedly denied the charges.
The new Sudanese military leaders said that they preferred that Bashir and any other citizen be tried in Sudan.
But they also claimed that the transfer of Bashir's trial to the ICC is the business of a future civilian government that they pledged to forge.
Darfurians have differing views on where to judge Bashir, but all are in agreement that he has to face justice.
"I lost my husband and son when the regime's militia attacked my village, Abu Jabra," said Ayesha Mohamed Hamid, 50, who lives with his five children in the Al-Jabra camp. Salam, south of Nyala, and now works in a brickyard.
"Bashir has committed genocide and must be brought to justice," she said.
"I prefer that he face justice in Sudan, so we can exercise our rights."
Waiting for 16 years
Displays of destroyed houses, burnt villages and raped women in Darfur were placed in front of the army headquarters in Khartoum, which became the center of national demonstrations.
Omar al-Bashir ruled Sudan with an iron fist for three decades, but in western Darfur his reign was particularly brutal. By ASHRAF SHAZLY (AFP / File)
But many Darfurians believe that their demand for justice should be a higher priority for protest leaders.
The Janjaweed were largely formed and led by two personalities of the Bashir – Musa Hilal government and Mohamed Hamadan Dagolo, better known as Himeidti.
While Hilal is currently in detention, Himeidti is an influential figure in the military council that replaced Bashir.
Its rapid support force operates under the control of the Sudanese army and its paramilitaries are regularly seen around infrastructure securing the capital. They are also responsible for securing the eastern border with Ethiopia and Eritrea.
"I think it's not just Bashir, but all those responsible for the crimes must be brought to justice," said Awatif Abdurrahman, a resident of Sakli camp near Nyala.
"Here, we wait 16 years for justice to be done … Not only Bashir, but all those responsible for the crimes must face justice," he said.
"I'm calling those present at the sit-in not to leave the place until we have responded to our request."
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