Sudanese War Criminal Living Rent-Free in Birmingham House
Alice Philipson, Telegraph (London), March 13, 2013
Mohamed Salim, 27, confessed he was a member of the militia that “wiped out entire villages” during an anonymous interview to the BBC’s Newsnight in 2006.
But although the interview brought him to the attention of the Border Agency’s war crimes unit, he has not been removed from Britain because it would infringe his human rights.
Speaking outside his home in Birmingham, Salim told the Mirror: “I came here because I listened to friends who said it was good to live here and claim asylum here. I don’t pay to live in this house.”
In Sudan, Salim was a member of the Janjaweed militia and was paid the equivalent of £50 a day by the Government to take part in the genocide in Darfur.
Now he is living in a semi-detached house which he is able to live in rent-free thanks to the National Asylum Support Service, a Home Office-affiliated agency.
He is unable to work because of the terms of his asylum and receives £160 a week. He also attends a college, where he learns English for free.
The Border Agency says he required to report to the Home office but Salim claims he has no contact with officials.
In the interview with the BBC in 2006, he said: “Whenever we go into a village and find resistance we kill everyone.
“Sometimes they said ‘wipe out an entire village’. And we shoot to kill.
“Most were civilians. Most were women. Innocent people running out and being killed including children. There are many rapes.”
Last year a court ruling said he could not be deported to Sudan because his life could be at risk if he returned. He was then granted asylum under the Human Rights Act.
However, the Home Office is appealing the decision, arguing the Geneva Convention allows war criminals to be refused asylum.
Salim now denies that he killed anyone in Sudan and was forced to join the Janjaweed.
He said: “I didn’t do anything with Janjaweed. I never killed people in my life.”
The Border Agency said: “We cannot comment on individual cases as his stay is subject to ongoing litigation.”
