No slavery in Sudan

With reference to the picture captioned Freed slaves in your July 10, 1999, edition, we wish to make the following comments:

1. The media campaign against Sudan on the issue of slavery is launched by Christian Solidarity International (CSI) which describes, intentionally, the abduction, imprisonment and freeing of individuals in the areas of civil wars, out of the government's control, as slavery practices. It is worth noting that even the British administration during the era of colonization could not ban such practices.

2. The constitution of the Republic of Sudan prohibits slavery, as well as the Sudanese Civil Code of 1991 which bans abduction, coercion and forced imprisonment as acts punishable by law.

3. Some human rights organizations, like Human Rights Watch, Africa, African rights and Anti Slavery International testified there is no slave trade directed or oriented by Sudan's government.

4. In launching these false allegations, CSI intends to distort the reputation of Sudan and thus continues its aggression against the legitimate government, needless to say the organization supports the terrorist, separatist rebel movement in southern Sudan.

5. CSI's allegations that it buys abducted citizens from southern Sudan is aimed at deceiving Christian public opinion in order to obtain financial support to set free these so-called slaves, a practice which encourages ill-intentioned people to abduct and imprison more innocent people to sell them to the organization and thus gain more profits.

6. These allegations of slavery in Sudan are not new with the relaunching of the campaign by CSI. It is an attempt to block the expected resolution to be endorsed by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) in its current meetings in Geneva, regarding the withdrawal of the consultative status of the organization for its violation of the requirements and regulations relative to the participation of NGOs in UN committees.

ABU BAKR HUSSEIN AHMED

Charge d'affaires a.i.

Sudanese Embassy, Jakarta