SPLM’s Al-Hilu vows to buck result of South Kordofan’s polls as
killing incident stokes tension
* Article
* Comments (5)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
*
*
*
*
May 17, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The leader of Sudan People’s Liberation
Movement (SPLM) in Sudan’s central state of South Kordofan, Abdul Aziz
Adam al-Hilu, on Tuesday reiterated refusal to recognize the result of
the state’s elections, stressing that his party would not participate
in a government resulting from a “rigged” vote.
JPEG - 16.4 kb
Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) military soldiers walk at
Kadogli market town in South Kordofan State May 1, 2011. (Reuters
Pictures)
In his first public appearance since Sunday’s announcement of the
result, which declared that his main rival Ahmad Haroun of the ruling
National Congress Party (NCP) beat him to the office of state governor
by 6,500 votes, Al-Hilu addressed thousands of SPLM supporters
celebrating the 28th anniversary of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army
(SPLA), the SPLM’s military wing, in the state’s key town of Kadugli
on Tuesday.
Al-Hilu declared that the SPLM had decided not to participate in any
government formed according to the result, accusing whom he called
“enemies of peace and unity” of rigging the elections “on a scale
never witnessed in the world before.”
The SPLM’s veteran promised his supporters as they chanted anti-Haroun
slogans that the SPLM would continue to resist the result and would
not participate in any government formed according to the result.
“We remind you that there is no going back in defending your rights
through peaceful struggle in order to eliminate all the powers seeking
to take you backward,” Al-Hilu told the crowd.
Al-Hilu further revealed that he was currently conducting high-level
contacts with the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) which, according
to him, reaffirmed support to the people of “new South Kordofan.”
The SPLM, which controls the soon-to-be independent region of South
Sudan, won 21 seats in South Kordofan’s legislative assembly whereas
the NCP won 33 seats.
South Kordofan’s legislative and gubernatorial elections, which lagged
behind as Sudan held nationwide elections in April 2010 due to
disagreements over census results, were largely peaceful.
However, disputes marred the stage of vote-counting, leading to the
withdrawal of the SPLM which said that the vote was rigged in favor of
the NCP, citing claims of spotting fraudulent polling centers.
South Kordofan is important to North Sudan’s ruling NCP because it
contains oil fields and neighbors the restive western region of
Darfur, where the government has been fighting ethnic rebels since
2003.
Also, the NCP’s candidate Ahmad Haroun happens to be one of three
Sudanese individuals, including President Al-Bashir, sought by the
International Criminal Court (ICC) in connection to atrocities
committed in Darfur.
Meanwhile, the already-tense climate in South Kordofan escalated
further after a regular force member shot dead the chieftain of
Al-Amma tribe at a checkpoint barrier on the road to Slara area in
Kadugli’s south western side.
Eye-witnesses told Sudan Tribune that Al-Amma chieftain, Awad Engiliz,
stopped his car at the orders of the checkpoint’s policemen before one
of them fired bullets on him.
An angry crowd of Al-Amma tribesmen gathered around the morgue to
which the deceased’s body was taken.
The three-hour siege of the morgue ended after the authorities
responded to Al-Amma tribesmen’s demands of extraditing the
perpetrator and removing the checkpoints.
Shops in the town market closed down as armed men were spotted in the
town during daytime, according to eye-witnesses.
Analysts fear that the existence of numerous armed groups in South
Kordofan, including north Sudan army, the paramilitary Popular Defense
Forces, SPLA as well as tribal militias may lead to violent
confrontation if tension persists.
(ST)
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD
info" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected].
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
