First Darfur rebel denies charges before Hague court

Mr Abu Garda was born in the small North Darfur village of Nana, close to a strategic crossing point into Chad.

Harsh desert frontiers

At his first hearing in The Hague, he told the court he was born on New Year’s Day, 1963, making him 46 -- a relative veteran among Darfur’s insurgents.

His family is part of the area’s influential Zaghawa group that has thrived in the harsh desert frontiers of Sudan and Chad.

The Zaghawa clashed with Arab herders over grazing lands for decades before the Darfur conflict and are also known as canny traders.

Fellow rebels say Abu Garda is a university graduate with a family who spent some time in Khartoum before the Darfur conflict.

Mr Abu Garda became an early member of JEM, a force closely linked with his Zaghawa Kobe sub-group. He quickly became an influential figure, in time becoming secretary of JEM’s Darfur section and one of seven vice-presidents.

Mr Abu Garda has said he was dismissed by JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim on September 25, 2007, at the height of a bitter split within the movement’s governing elite.

JEM accused him of plotting to overthrow Mr Ibrahim, a charge he denies. ICC court papers say he formed a rival military splinter group some time between late September and early October.

The bloody attack on the African Union’s Haskanita base took place on September 29, 2007.

His condolences

Abu Garda officially announced the founding of the JEM Collective Leadership in early October 2007, lambasting Mr Ibrahim for concentrating power in his close family, damaging peace talks and conspiring against other leaders.

After a series of alliances with other groups, Mr Abu Garda became leader of the insurgent United Resistance Front.

Abu Garda has regularly denied having anything to do with the Haskanita attack.

The official launch document of his breakaway JEM Collective Leadership included a passage condemning the assault, passing his condolences to the peacekeepers’ families and promising to cooperate with any investigation. (Reuters)