Minni Minnawi

Minni Minnawi
Minnawi was rewarded for signing the peace agreement with a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush in July 2006
Chairperson of the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority
In office 23 April 2007 – 6 December 2010
Preceded by	office created
Succeeded by	Shartai Jaafar Abdel Hakam
Personal details
Born	December 12, 1968 Kotom City North Darfur [1]
Nationality	Sudanese
Political party	Sudan Liberation Movement
Religion	Sunni Islam

Suliman Arcua Minnawi, known as "Minni Minnawi" (born 1968 in Furawiyya, North Darfur), was the leader of the largest faction of the Sudanese Liberation Army. A former educator, Minnawi was the Secretary of Sudan Liberation Army leader, Abdul Wahid Nur, before the organization split in 2004. Minnawi belongs to the Zaghawa ethnic group, the Ila Digen (or Awlad Digayn) clan of the non-Arab, Saharan Zaghawa people.

Minnawi signed a treaty, known as the Darfur Peace Agreement, with the Khartoum government in May 2006. Nevertheless, in July 2006, fighting broke out around the North Darfur town of Korma, resulting in the deaths of at least 80 people.^[2] In the same year, Minnawi was appointed the top Sudanese official in the Darfur region, as chairman of the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority, and was technically the fourth ranking member of the Presidency, as Senior Assistant to the President of the Republic.

On September 14, 2006, in defiance of Khartoum's opposition, Minnawi supported the new UN peacekeeping force detailed in UNSC Resolution 1706, which was designed to protect the Sudanese people.^[3] Minnawi opposed the Sudan government's genocidal agenda, which was exercised by Bashir against the Zaghawa, and other Black African citizens, for which crimes Bashir was later indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).^[4]

In December 2010, the Sudan Liberation Movement withdrew from the Darfur Peace Agreement.^[5] Minnawi resigned as Senior Assistant to the President of Sudan and as Chairperson of the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority,^[6] to merge his faction, SLM/MM, with the other resistance defense forces in Darfur, including SLM/AW, Abdul Wahid, in resisting attacks by the Sudanese Armed Forces, and its militia, on citizens in rebel-held areas. In 2011, SLM/MM joined the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) opposed to the Khartoum Government.^[7] In March, 2014, senior Sudanese officials reportedly gave orders to eliminate the presence of SLA/MM forces in North Darfur within 72 hours^[8] but have failed to do so.

References

1. Alsharq AL-Aawsat Page 8 ، Tuesday 6/4/2010 No 11452
2. "BBC NEWS - Africa - Bloody battle in northern Darfur". Retrieved 24 September 2014.
3. "Thomson Reuters Foundation". Retrieved 24 September 2014.
4. http://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/situations%20and%20cases/situations/situation%20icc%200205/press%20releases/Pages/icc%20issues%20a%20warrant%20of%20arrest%20for%20omar%20al%20bashir_%20president%20of%20sudan.aspx
5. "Sudan rebel chief ready to battle Khartoum". ReliefWeb. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
6. http://www.sudantribune.com/Bashir-removes-Minnawi-from,37181
7. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2011/12/2011122545659831522.html
8. http://beforeitsnews.com/war-and-conflict/2014/03/sudan-government-prepares-to-crush-sudan-liberation-movement-minni-minnawi-slm-mm-rebels-in-north-darfur-within-72-hours-2451086.html