Sudan brushes aside UNSC demand for Abyei withdrawal
* Article
* Comments (35)
email Email
print Print
pdfSave
separation
increase
decrease
separation
separation
*
*
*
*
June 4, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government today rejected the
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidential statement issued
on Friday which called on the North to withdraw its forces from Abyei.
JPEG - 42.5 kb
A aerial view of burnt out and destroyed villages on the outskirts of
Abyei town, central Sudan,in this aerial photograph taken May 24, 2011
and released by the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) on May 25,
2011 (Reuters)
The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) moved on to seize the oil rich region
last month in retaliation to an attack on one of its convoys by
Southern forces near the area.
Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir immediately issued a decree
dissolving the area’s administrative council without consulting with
his First Vice president Salva Kiir who is also the president of South
Sudan government.
The UNSC yesterday condemned the takeover and demanded pullout of all
SAF units from the area.
"The Council demands that the Government of Sudan withdraw immediately
from the Abyei Area. The Council further demands the immediate
withdrawal of all military elements from Abyei" said a unanimous
formal UNSC statement read out to a meeting of the 15-nation body by
Gabon Ambassador Nelson Messone, this month’s president.
The seizure of Abyei by SAF was called a "serious violation of the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement" signed in 2005 between the North and
South.
"The Council underscores that failure by the Government of Sudan to
comply with and to fulfill the CPA jeopardizes the benefits that could
flow from such compliance".
The Sudanese foreign minister Ali Karti described UNSC statement as
"confabulations" saying that whoever drafted it "is living with a
mentality of the past".
"We do not need anyone asking us to withdraw from Abyei" Karti told
reporters today.
He stressed that SAF was compelled to enter to address the security situation.
"Talking about a withdrawal is acceptable only in the context of an
agreement on arrangements to secure the area and to allow all
[residents] to live as before, that does not prevent a party from
living in an area where he lived for hundreds of years" Karti added.
The top Sudanese diplomat called on the UNSC to support the work of
the African Union (AU) panel mediating between the North and South
that is headed by former South African president Thabo Mbeki.
Another official in the ruling National Congress party (NCP) headed by
Bashir told Reuters that the dispute would be resolved only through
north-south negotiations, not pressure from the UNSC.
"This arrangement by government forces is a temporary arrangement. The
only solution for the two parties is to find a solution different from
referendum or to conduct the referendum," said Rabie Abdel-Aati a
senior member of the NCP.
"I don’t see any justification for the United Nations Security Council
to be involved" he said.
A referendum on whether it should be part of the north or south was
marred by disputes over who should be allowed to vote. The region is
used all year by Dinka Ngok people linked to the south and part of the
year by northern Arab Misseriya nomads.
The UNSC also expressed concern over the sudden influx of Arab
Misseriya saying it condemns "all unilateral actions meant to create
facts on the ground that would prejudice the outcome of
negotiations,".
A monitoring group known as Satellite Sentinel said satellite images
showed "evidence of attacks by armored vehicles and the destruction of
villages". It estimated that one-third of civilian buildings in the
town were burned by SAF. The United Nations estimates that around
60,000 have been displaced as a result of the military offensive.
Images released showed burning huts and ongoing looting.
(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.
