---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Sat, 11 Jun 2011 11:48:25 +0300 Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] Fw: Southern Kordofan: ethnic cleansing To: Group <[email protected]>
This morning we received the sad news that two church personnel were murdered by government forces in South Kordofan, after having been detained a couple of days ago. They are just two amongst a huge number of murdered civilians. It should be clear to everybody now that this is not simply a case of fighting between SAF and SPLA, nor is it collateral damage; this is a deliberate policy by the Khartoum regime to kill its own citizens. It is ethnic cleansing, and it is not new - this has been done by the current Khartoum regime in the Nuba Mountains before (1990s) and more recently in Darfur. The international community should stop trying to fudge this as part of the north-south conflict (the people being killed are northern Sudanese citizens), and recognise it for what it is - the deliberate killing of civilians by their own government. The killing needs to be stopped, and this is the first priority. Isn't it the same dynamic in Libya? John 1. E-mail received from the Nuba Mountains 11th June 2011: Here is the situation in Central/Eastern Nuba. Heiban was captured by SPLA. 60 dead SAF soldiers were found along the road b/w Kauda and Heiban. 10 dead SPLA. This is in one location, actual casualties should be higher. SPLA successfully secured weapons and munitions left behind by SAF. Kwalib territory is secure but has been bombed. East as far as Nyakuma in Lira territory is secure. Kachama was bombed and apparently an evacuated school was hit. The cellular lines in Kauda have been cut. In the east, Um Durdo and Timberra have been captured by SPLA. Misseria are attacking stragglers so it is essential that people stay near populations centers and bring herds in. Al Azrac was the site of a major route of SAF. They fled leaving behind weapons and munitions. There are reports of downed planes in parts of Nuba as well as in Bentiu. Gidel has not been bombed, but people there have heard bombing. The bombing was done by fighters, not Antonovs. We are getting mixed word about Kadugli and fear for the people there. It seems like that is where the fighting is fiercest. We will continue to pray for the people there. END1 2. South Sudan calls for foreign military intervention in South Kordofan June 9, 2011 (JUBA) - South Sudan on Thursday called for foreign military intervention over armed confrontation involving forces loyal to its military wing, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the northern Sudan Armed Forces in border state of South Kordofan. Joseph Ukel, minister of higher education in the government of South Sudan, told Sudan Tribune that the fighting in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan would stop unless foreign forces intervene. "There is a need for foreign military intervention because nothing will stop the ongoing fighting in the Nuba Mountains from resuming anytime soon since the government of Sudan as officially announced allowing its forces to drive out SPLA forces from the area", Ukel said. The Khartoum government gave SPLA forces from South Kordofan and Blue Nile an ultimatum to move south of the border or disarm otherwise they would be atacked by the Sudan Armed Forces. Despite fighting with SPLA, which became the official army of the south and part of a 2005 peace deal, many people from South Kordofan and Blue Nile joined the southern rebels in the civil war against Khartoum. The 2005 peace deal gave the people South Sudan and Abyei right to self determination while granting Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile States in central Sudan "popular consultations" to assess and determine the system of governance after the end of six years of interim period. In January the South opted to secede, leaving the two states in north Sudan and still governed by the National Congress Party (NCP) in Khartoum. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement states that the popular consultations cannot go ahead until a state legislative assembly and governor have been elected. Blue Nile State took part in last years general elections, which were marred with allegations of frauds and intimidation, returning Malik Agar the candidate from the SPLM, the political movement of the former rebels. However in South Kordofan the electionswere delayed over disputed results of a national census, conducted in 2008. A new census was conducted in March, 2011 and accepted by all the parties paving the way for conduct of the elections held in May 2-4, 2011. The NCP won the election, which was endorsed by international observers, by almost two votes to every one SPLM vote. The SPLM rejected the results claiming there were irregularities in the aggregation process and said it would not share any government brought into the power as part of the election. On Sunday the Sudan Armed Forces moved into Kadugli, capital of South Kordofan State, with tanks and other heavy machine guns mounted on military vehicles, thus prompting an eruption of a fighting. The fighting which began in Kadugli on Saturday, and resumed on Sunday in the town and surrounding areas. Eye witnesses in Dilling told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday that a commanding officer of the Sudan Armed Forces in the area was killed along with eight other soldiers. A senior SPLA military officer was also reported to have been killed with two of his bodyguards. The United Nations Mission in Sudan office in Kadugli on Tuesday and Wednesday in an interview with Sudan Tribune confirmed eruption of fighting in the town and subsequent killing of six people, 4 of whom were government police and 2 civilians but said it subsided on Thursday, though there were erratic shootings. While the SPLM had reported killing of 17 on Tuesday, eyes witnesses including employees of international organizations in the area say a lot of people have been killed. No independent report has confirmed the killing and it was not clear whether figures of people killed six reported by the United Nations were part of the SPLM’s report or not. The United Nations also announced suspending its operational activities on Tuesday and relocated over 300 staff members of UN agencies and international organization in the area. Multiple sources in Kadugli in on Thursday told Sudan Tribune on Thursday that UN has relocated its staff members including staff members of the international organizations to various locations in Sudan. International relief organizations were forced to leave as they were unable to perform their normal duties due to lack of access to the injured as well as water and electricity shortages, a source in the area said. UN sources also confirmed eruption of heavy fighting on 8 June, 2011 including aerial bombardments. "It was tough yesterday. There was fire in every direction," says a UN source who did not want to be named. "It was a cat and mouse game going on in the town yesterday between the armed forces. I cannot who was who among them anymore. We even had people coming to our camp and snatching people suspected as political supporters," the source said. (ST) END2 3. UN, AU: Urge End to Sudanese Abuses in S. Kordofan Human Rights Watch UN Peacekeepers Should Protect Civilians, Aid (Nairobi, June 11, 2011) – The Sudanese government should immediately stop bombing civilian areas and halt human rights abuses by its soldiers and allied militia forces in Southern Kordofan, Human Rights Watch said today. The United Nations, the African Union, and other concerned governments should strongly condemn the violations of international humanitarian law and call on Sudan to immediately rein in its forces and allow humanitarian access to all affected populations. On June 5, 2011, fighting broke out between Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and elements of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) near Kadugli, the capital of the oil-rich state of Southern Kordofan. The fighting followed weeks of growing tension between the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the southern Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) over security arrangements in Southern Kordofan and the re-election of Ahmed Haroun as governor of the state. Haroun is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur. “Sudan needs to stop these attacks immediately and allow UN and aid organizations access to affected people,” said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “UN peacekeepers should act robustly to protect civilians, and UN and AU and member states should condemn these attacks.” The fighting quickly spread to Kadugli, Tolodi, Dilling, and other towns and villages, and extensive artillery shelling and aerial bombardment of civilian areas by SAF forces have resulted in several civilian deaths and destruction of property. Government soldiers and militia forces have also been engaged in widespread abuses including extrajudicial killings, arrests, and looting and destruction of civilian property such as private homes and churches. Credible reports received by Human Rights Watch indicate SAF soldiers and Popular Defense Forces, a militia force, deployed in large numbers in Kadugli and other towns, targeted a number of civilians they suspected to be SPLM members. The forces carried out house-to-house searches and set up checkpoints, where they stopped civilians trying to flee the violence and killed some of them, according to witnesses. Reports from the ground indicate that military personnel arrested people who had sought refuge inside the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) compound, in violation of international humanitarian law. One of those arrested was later found dead. “The peacekeeping mission should urgently investigate this horrific incident and make sure it never happens again,” Bekele said. “It’s very disturbing that the UN mission may have allowed these crimes to occur.” One resident of Kadugli, reached by telephone, described the dire situation: “Kadugli is an empty city now. Shops were closed, electricity was cut off, no one knows who is fighting whom, heavy shelling is all over the place, but I managed to get my family outside the town. As I speak now I am leaving my house. This place is finished; the city will never be the same again.” Human Rights Watch has been unable to confirm the number of civilian casualties, as little detailed information is available. Government forces have also prevented journalists from accessing the area. At a checkpoint 40 kilometers north of Kadugli, soldiers stopped a vehicle carrying Al Jazeera journalists, forced them out of the car, beat them, and then ordered them to leave the state. The violence has resulted in the displacement of tens of thousands of people toward El Obeid and the Nuba Mountains, where they have scattered amid ongoing aerial bombing. An estimated 10,000 civilians who gathered near the UNMIS compound in Kadugli since the fighting broke out do not have adequate protection or humanitarian assistance and remain vulnerable to further abuses by government forces patrolling in the area. The humanitarian situation has deteriorated sharply, with humanitarian agencies effectively unable to operate. “The UN, AU, and concerned governments should speak out against these abuses and insist Sudan allows aid in immediately,” Bekele said. The NCP and SPLM, parties to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended Sudan’s long-running civil war, should urgently agree to security arrangements that protect civilians and enable humanitarian access, Human Rights Watch said. For more Human Rights Watch reporting on Sudan, please visit: http://www.hrw.org/en/africa/sudan END3 4. Sudan: Risks to civilians increasing in Southern Kordofan Amnesty International 10 June 2011 A humanitarian emergency is unfolding in the Sudanese state of Southern Kordofan, as forces from the North and South continue to launch attacks in civilian areas, Amnesty International warned today. Tens of thousands of people are fleeing their homes as fighting continues between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and elements of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) of South Sudan, which broke out on 5 June across the state. Amnesty International has received reports from residents of the besieged towns of Kadugli and Dilling that the SAF, as well as Sudanese security forces in plain clothes, have been searching streets and houses, arresting and killing people suspected of supporting the SPLA. Amnesty International condemns these reported unlawful killings. “[Soldiers] were rushing out of everywhere onto the main road, asking ‘are you SPLA?’ They checked our things to see if they could find any documents which they consider link us to the SPLA. [If they do] they will capture you,” said a Kadugli resident. One person who fled Kadugli to Khartoum told Amnesty International, “On the way [out of Kadugli] I saw thousands of people walking towards the UN compound. They don’t have food or water.” A number of the attacks are indiscriminate, including aerial bombardments and artillery fire by the SAF. Bombings have been reported in five villages south of the state capital Kadugli, and in Talodi, Heiban, Kaudo, and other towns. “The Sudanese government must urgently put a stop to these indiscriminate attacks, and in particular must stop the bombing of areas populated by civilians and allow humanitarian agencies access to deliver assistance to the civilian population,” said Erwin van der Borght, Africa Programme Director for Amnesty International, Access to the population by humanitarian agencies is severely restricted in the region. The majority of international NGO staff have been evacuated, and there are severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies. The UN has estimated that between 30,000 and 40,000 people have fled Kadugli out of an original population of 60,000. Dilling town and a number of villages surrounding Kadugli are also reportedly deserted. Looting and destruction of property have been widespread. Civilian homes and NGO offices have been raided. “Fierce fighting has been impeding international agencies from delivering humanitarian assistance to the civilian population,” said Erwin van der Borght. “Both parties need to take necessary precautions to avoid civilian casualties. The UN peacekeepers of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) must take action to protect civilians and ensure the security and freedom of movement of UN personnel and of humanitarian workers.” END4 5. OHCHR PRESS BRIEFING NOTE - Sudan Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Rupert Colville Location: Geneva 10 June 2011 (1) Sudan With regards to the ongoing fighting in Kadugli and neighbouring towns and villages in South Kordofan State between northern and southern security forces (the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army), we have received extremely worrying reports of civilian casualties, mass displacement and deteriorating humanitarian conditions. Our human rights officers continue to monitor the situation and have been in touch with doctors and a priest in the region who have confirmed a number of civilian injuries and deaths from Um Durein village and Talodi town, as well as house to house searches in the west of Kadugli. Roadblocks have been imposed by the fighting forces preventing medical and humanitarian access. A number of civilians have been killed trying to retrieve food from their homes in the area and the Kadugli Catholic Church, where a number of IDPs sought refuge, was attacked. To give one example of the types of reports we have been receiving, a 25-year-old man from the Hagar Alnar neighbourhood told human rights officers that he and his eight siblings decided to revisit their home on Wednesday (8 June) morning to retrieve food and other items, but they were confronted by police forces who shot and killed two of his brothers. The fate of the other six is unknown. Eyewitnesses confirmed the incident. We call on all parties to the conflict to immediately stop the indiscriminate shelling, refrain from attacks on civilians and provide safe corridors for the safe passage of civilians, in line with international humanitarian and human rights law. Humanitarian agencies must be allowed access to the affected population to provide urgently needed assistance. END5 6. US calls for 'immediate end' to Sudan attacks White House warns against ethnically targeted violence as tensions rise a month ahead of the south's secession. Last Modified: 10 Jun 2011 17:11 Al Jazeera The White House has urged Sudan to "immediately" end the escalation of "reprehensible" violence on southern army positions less than a month before the south becomes the world's youngest country. "The United States condemns reported acts of violence in Southern Kordofan that target individuals based on their ethnicity and political affiliation," White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Friday, calling for a ceasefire. The statement was in response to reports of further attacks by northern forces on the Sudan People's Liberation Army of the south. "Accounts of security services and military forces detaining, and summarily executing local authorities, political rivals, medical personnel and others are reprehensible and could constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity," Carney said in a lengthy statement, which also called on the United Nations to investigate the reports. The perpetrators should "immediately halt these actions and be held accountable for their crimes," he added. On Friday, the south said the north had killed three civilians in a bombing at a border town in the Unity state region. "There has been an air bombardment by northern forces in Unity state, in the morning yesterday and again in the afternoon. Three people were killed in the morning," Philip Aguer, spokesman for the south's Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army (SPLA), said. "We are expecting not only air attacks but also ground forces. Our forces near the border are on maximum alert and are expecting an attack any time," he added. The south is preparing to secede on July 9 but there are fears of fresh fighting between the two long-standing rivals, especially after the north seized the disputed Abyei region two weeks ago. Aguer said northern forces were moving from Abyei towards Unity state. The northern army has not yet commented on the claims. However, a UN spokeswoman told the AFP news agency that the northern army had not struck inside southern territory. "The place that they bombed was an SPLA assembly area, right on the north-south border. This is one of the disputed territories," Hua Jiang for the UN mission in Sudan said. 'Thousands flee' As many as 40,000 people may have fled fighting in Sudan's South Kordofan state, the UN has said. "Of the Kadugli population, estimated at 60,000, between 30,000 to 40,000 people are now believed to have fled the town," Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told reporters in Geneva on Friday. Amnesty International announced a "humanitarian emergency" in the border state's capital of Kadugli, on Friday. "The Sudanese government must urgently put a stop to these indiscriminate attacks, and in particular must stop the bombing of areas populated by civilians and allow humanitarian agencies access to deliver assistance to the civilian population," said Erwin van der Borght, Africa programme director for Amnesty International. Clashes broke out in Kadugli after a police station was attacked on Saturday. Officials from the northern and southern ruling parties have traded blame for who started the fighting. Southern Kordofan, which is in northern territory, has been seen as a potential flashpoint in the build-up to the south's scheduled secession because it is home to many fighters who fought against Khartoum during the last civil war. It is also Sudan's only oil-producing state and accounts for around 25 per cent of Sudan's total output of around 480,000 barrels per day. Khartoum is likely to see a sharp fall in its vital oil revenues when the south secedes unless an amicable revenue-sharing agreement is reached. Another 100,000 people, most of them ethnically southern Dinka Ngok farmers, have fled to the south from the contested Abyei border region nearby since it was overrun by northern troops on May 21, according to UN estimates. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/06/2011610143746875770.html END6 7. US deeply concerned over developments in Sudan Politics 6/11/2011 9:46:00 AM WASHINGTON, June 11 (KUNA) -- The U.S. said here late Friday that it is "deeply concerned" by ongoing developments in Southern Kordofan, Sudan, calling on the UN to "fully investigate" these incidents. White House Spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement that fighting between forces loyal to the Government of Sudan, including its Armed Forces and the Popular Defense Force militia, and the Sudan People's Liberation Army "threatens efforts by the parties to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement to forge a durable peace for the Sudanese people." "The United States condemns reported acts of violence in Southern Kordofan that target individuals based on their ethnicity and political affiliation," he affirmed and that "accounts of security services and military forces detaining, and summarily executing local authorities, political rivals, medical personnel, and others are reprehensible and could constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity." "We call on the UN to fully investigate these incidents, and we demand that the perpetrators immediately halt these actions and be held accountable for their crimes," Carney stressed. He added that the Government of Sudan "must prevent further escalation of this crisis by ceasing immediately its pursuit of a military solution to disarm the Sudan People's Liberation Army in Southern Kordofan and to dissolve the Joint Integrated Units established under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. " He stressed that the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North "must agree immediately to a ceasefire and end restrictions on humanitarian access and UN movements," and that security arrangements for Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States "should be agreed upon through direct, high-level negotiations, not by the use of force." "We are encouraged to learn such negotiations at a political level will begin on Sunday," he noted. "With less than one month before the end of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the United States calls on the Government of Sudan to consider carefully the consequences of its current actions in Southern Kordofan," he said. He added that "although the United States has demonstrated a commitment to forging closer ties with Sudan, grave violations of international humanitarian law as have been reported to take place in Southern Kordofan will negatively impact this process and put Sudan on a path toward deeper international isolation." "We also call upon the leaders of the Sudan People's Liberation Army in South Kordofan to avoid reprisals and other human rights violations, to agree to a cease fire, to provide full access to the UN and humanitarian agencies and to cooperate in a UN investigation of the reports of such violations," Carney remarked. (end) si.gta KUNA 110946 Jun 11NNNN END7 ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan Advisor Sudan Ecumenical Forum [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +249 919 695 362 (Sudan mobile) +27 82 853 3556 (South Africa mobile) +44 750 304 1790 (UK/international) +88 216 4334 0735 (Thuraya satphone) PO Box 52002 - 00200, Nairobi, Kenya This is a personal e-mail address and the contents do not necessarily reflect the views of any organisation -- The content of this message does not necessarily reflect John Ashworth's views. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, John Ashworth is not the author of the content and the source is always cited. 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