SPLM calls for international intervention over clashes in South Kordofan
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By Ngor Arol Garang
June 6, 2011 (JUBA)-The leadership of the Sudan People’s Liberation
Movement (SPLM) on Monday called for immediate international community
assistance over armed confrontation it says was instigated by the
National Congress Party (NCP), to provoke a return to war between the
south and north in transitional areas.
JPEG - 12.1 kb
SPLM troops in Kagugli, 1 May, 2011 (Reuters)
It also claimed the SAF mission in Kadugli to be instigate the
resettlement of the region with Arab tribes.
The former rebel movement which became the official ruling of the
semi-autonomous region of South Sudan made the remarks in which it
blamed the international community of turning a blind eye to crimes it
says were being deliberately committed by the NCP.
This came following reports of armed confrontation on Sunday and
Monday involving elements allegedly loyal to both to the southern
army, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the north’s Sudan
Armed Forces (SAF) in South Kordofan.
Bol Makueng, secretary for information, culture and communication with
the SPLM on Monday said SAF troops entered Kadugli with tanks and
heavy artilleries and have started attacking civil population in the
area with intention of re-settling the land with Arab tribes as it has
been alleged occurred in Darfur and Abyei.
“The Sudanese Armed Forces entered Kadugli town yesterday on Sunday 5
June 2011. They entered with tanks and heavy artilleries mounted on
vehicles. This is after taking positions at strategic places around
Kadugli town, especially at the airport to allow delivery of the
military hardware to arm more militias in the area”.
“Their mission is to disarm Sudan People’s Liberation Movement
component of the Joint Integrated Units in South Kordofan and to clear
the area of Nuba in order to settle Arab tribes there as done in
Darfur and Abyei. This is a clear violation of the terms of
Comprehensive Peace Agreement”, reads part of the release obtained by
Sudan Tribune on Monday by the Secretariat of the SPLM.
Arnu Yusuf, a SPLM Secretary General for South Kordofan state
confirmed the attack which he said was initiated by “hooligans and
enemies of peace and democracy”.
“Yes, there was an attack by armed criminals on civil population in
Umm Dorein and in three other places yesterday on June 5, 2011. There
are casualties. Some innocent civilians were killed and others have
fled the area”, said Yusuf.
Yusuf denied claims that the incident was initiated by supporters of
the SPLM reported to be unhappy with May election results. The South
Kordofan election was won by the NCP’s Ahmed Haroun, who is wanted by
theInternational Criminal Court. Although the election was
internationally accepted, controversy still surrounds the result.
He said an investigation into the cause of attack on civil population
would be conducted, in order to diffuse the tension and escalation.
Musa Kaka, a senior member of the SPLM in Nuba Mountains denied that
the fighting in the area was started by members of the SPLA in Joint
Integrated Units (JIU). He claimed the fighting was initiated by the
SAF.
“The Sudan Armed Forces in Umm Dorein and in three other places
started the fighting. They entered a camp in which SPLA members of the
Joint Integrated Unit lives in Talodi on Sunday and started
misbehaving”, said Kaka, denying reports that some SPLM supporters
stole money in agriculture bank at Talodi branch.
“These reports are not correct. The reality has been twisted. No SPLM
supporters in the area have entered Agriculture bank to steal. The
reality is that bank officials acted in collaboration with some
soldiers from the Sudan Armed Forces took the money and claimed the
money was taken by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in order to
escape from taking responsibility”.
“I repeat. There was no citizen from the area who has taken any money
from the bank. The money was stolen by bank officials who acted in
collaboration with some soldiers from the Sudan Armed Forces. They
attack SPLA component of the JIUS in their compound just for covering
purposes, explained Kaka.
He argued that there are no any armed groups in the area which can
initiate the fighting apart from enemies of “peace and democracy “he
said cannot be done by SPLM. “Our supporters are responsible people
and people who advocate peace and dialogue. They support and
prioritise dialogue as alternative to resolving differences. This is
nature of our people in the Mountains. They are generous people and
not naturally thief,” he explained.
He reiterated that the SAF carried out the attack on the civil
population with intention to remove local inhabitants from areas of
their ancestors to settle Arab tribes.
“You do not need to ask who initiated the attack if you have been
following current affairs. The Sudan Armed Forces appeared in Kadugli
town yesterday. This is in preparation to launch offensive operation
against Sudan People’s Liberation Army component of the Joint
Integrated Units in Kadugli”.
“They are also intending to attack villages believe to be stronghold
of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. They are acting in response
to recent declaration of war by President Omar Al-Bashir on the
Sudanese people. So, Sudan Armed Forces are executing orders by
intensifying slaughtering activities in Nuba Mountains just like they
are doing against the people of Darfur”, he explained.
Earlier, Bol Makueng, head of information, culture and communications
in the SPLM southern sector said the Sudanese people in the three
transitional areas of Abyei, Nuba Mountains, and South Blue Nile and
the people in Darfur, are being killed while the international
community pays little attention.
“Omer Bashir is committing these crimes one after the other because
SPLM and SPLA are peaceful. They do not want more Sudanese people to
die after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA),
because Sudan has experienced violence and death of its people for too
long. So, the NCP thinks this is weakness on part of SPLA/M”, said
Makueng.
He accused the NCP of having started arming militias to commit
atrocities in Darfur, Abyei, Southern Kordofan and Southern Sudan
immediately after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
“Neither legal measures nor military confrontations have been taken
against them. And so the NCP consider it as weakness of the SPLA/M and
the international community, which are guarantors’ of the peace
accord. The NCP also stole the oil money, refuses to implement vital
protocols of the CPA like referendum in Abyei, popular consultations
in Southern Kordofan and Southern Blue Nile. Ignores and defies the
call to adhere to the CPA’s protocol on Abyei, the work of the Abyei
Border Commission [ABC], the Hague arbitration yet the international
community failed to put more on the National Congress Party to honor
the agreement. The CPA guarantors, IGAD countries and the United
Nations have provided little attention on these violations. They have
done very little”, he explained.
Makueng continued to argue that, throughout the CPA implementation,
the NCP has been caught red-handed distributing arms with a helicopter
he said was captured and shown to the whole world yet the
international community, particularly, the CPA guarantors and made no
investigation.
"There was no condemnation either. It was left to SPLM to handle it
alone. During referendum for the Southern Sudan early this year, the
NCP planes bombed Northern Bhar el Ghazal and Western Bhar el Ghazal
states. As usual, the local population suffered loss of lives and
material destruction. There was still no challenge to Omer Bashir who
has assumed himself the Hitler of Sudan. NCP rigged elections to
install the most unpopular and an ICC wanted person, Ahmed Mohammed
Harun, in Southern Kordofan as governor. Again, this crime against
democracy and freedom was left to SPLM alone in Southern Kordofan to
challenge it. Why? Where is the international community? Are CPA
guarantors, asked Makueng, explaining that SPLM will continue to
maintain peace, although a loner in this endeavor and so there is no
going back to war?" asked Makueng.
He said the voice coming out from South Kordofan is calling on all
the peace loving Sudanese and democratic forces in the country to
stand up in solidarity with people of Abyei, Southern Kordofan and
Southern Blue Nile and to reject and denounce the NCP’s war monger
attitude.
He called upon the international community, the CPA guarantors and the
Intergovernmental Authority on Development countries to rescue the
Abyei protocol, the protocol for Southern Kordofan and Southern Blue
Nile, and to stop the NCP from returning the country back to war,
adding “All organisations and individuals of good will to support
victims of the NCP aggression”.
A staff member of the UN office in Kadugli has confirmed the rising
tension in the area and that their movement has restricted to the
camp.
“We have been in the camp since Friday. We have not been able to
leave the camp because our movement is restricted because of the
security situation outside. Our national colleagues have not been
advised to stay in their houses until the situation stabilizes”, said
an official from UN office in Kadugli who did not want to be named.
(ST)
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