Tonight:
4°c
Luton doctor spearheads fight against Sudan leader
Anna Davis20 Mar 2009
A Luton doctor is in Darfur working for a rebel group fighting to overthrow the Sudanese government, it emerged today.
Five other British subjects and an Irish citizen are also among the leaders of the Justice and Equality Movement.
The expatriates, who originally come from Sudan, joined the rebel fighters after reading about the unequal distribution of wealth in the country in a publication known as the Black Book.
Doctor el-Tahir el-Faki was preparing for a shift at the Luton and Dunstable hospital in February when a rebel contact telephoned him for help. Expatriate members of JEM's leadership are expected to return to the country in times of special need. He was asked to fill in as a speaker in peace talks with the Sudanese government because the official delegation had been delayed in Egypt.
He now works in Darfur with other members of JEM. The rebel organisation has gained pre-eminence among Darfur's divided insurgent groups and has dominated recent peace talks, as well as action on the battleground.
Dr el-Tahir was born in the Kordofan region of Sudan and has lived in Britain for 22 years. He said: "Things are moving very quickly. It will be solved by peace, or by the bullet. It won't take long."
The UN's chief mediator for Darfur wrote to Dr el-Tahir's hospital saying his sudden absence was vital for the interests of peace. Dr el-Tahir said: "I don't know what my fate will be with the hospital when I finally get back. I am sure they must have stopped paying me by now." He said that none of his group had faced problems because of their involvement with JEM.
He added: "If the British authorities had anything against us they would have knocked on our doors at 5am. But why should they? They know that we are loyal to Britain and that our allegiance is with the Crown.
"Britain missed an opportunity in Sudan and allowed the Chinese to expand there instead. We hope that by changing the Khartoum regime, Britain and Sudan will be able to restore their natural relationship."
The Justice and Equality Movement is fighting to overthrow Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president. This month the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him for war crimes in Darfur.
