In Darfur, some Arabs now fight alongside rebels
Some Arabs fighters are growing so disenchanted with unfulfilled promises from Sudan's government that they're switching sides in the conflict.
from the May 22, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
"It means we do not just represent the Fur – or the [non-Arab] tribes – we represent everybody," he says.
Rokero claims to have some 4,000 Arab militiamen arrayed around the margins of his territory, protecting the civilian population within.
He says the deal has already started to make a difference to the people he is fighting for.
The price of sugar has begun dropping as trucks make the six-hour journey from Nyala to the edge of the Jebel Mara.
And aid agencies can begin bringing food to the isolated people here without fear of hijacking.
That is the real reason for the unlikely alliance, say some Sudan watchers.
"The SLA is able to move food and supplies in along a road that used to be unsafe, while the Arabs can move their animals without fear of SLA harassment," says an aid worker speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
"It's a marriage of convenience not ideology."
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