---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Thu, Feb 2, 2012 at 10:37 PM Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] South Kordofan and Blue Nile fighting continues To: Group <[email protected]>
1. Chokepoint: Evidence of SAF Control of Refugee Route to South Sudan Report— DigitalGlobe, Enough Project, Harvard University Satellites Capture Battle for Control of Main Refugee Route Out of Sudan Posted by Mollie Zapata on Jan 30, 2012 A battle over control of the main refugee route from the Nuba Mountains in Sudan into South Sudan raged last week, according to eyewitness reports obtained by the Enough Project. Sources reported that at 5 a.m. local time on January 25, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-North, or SPLA-N, launched an offensive from the mountains above the town of Toroge toward the Sudan Armed Forces, or SAF, positioned below. SAF had stationed approximately 2,000 troops in the area, and sent in approximately 1,000 reinforcements from the Jau area in a successful effort to maintain control of Toroge. Sources reported that there was bombardment on both sides, and that both sides are equipped with mortars, T-55 main battle tanks, and howitzers. A new Satellite Sentinel Project report, “Chokepoint: Evidence of SAF Control of Refugee Route to South Sudan,” released January 27 corroborates these eyewitness accounts. The report documents DigitalGlobe imagery depicting a fortified chokepoint in Toroge where SAF has amassed apparent artillery, infantry fighting vehicles, and battle tanks. Imagery in the report also captured a line of six grey smoke plumes on a ridge above Toroge, indicating an artillery barrage, and an Antonov airplane—the aircraft used for bombing attacks—heading toward the location of the apparent barrage. After the report’s release, a source on the ground confirmed to the Enough Project that the plumes of smoke and Antonov airplane were part of a battle over control of the main road from South Kordofan to the Yida refugee camp in South Sudan. SAF now controls the road and is blocking any humanitarian aid going into rebel-controlled areas. “Restricting the ability of civilians to flee a conflict zone can constitute a violation of international humanitarian law,” said Harvard Carr Center Executive Director Charlie Clements, MD. “It is crucial that the government of Sudan allow any and all civilians attempting to flee violence in South Kordofan to do so and seek refuge across the border.” Since the battle on January 25-26, the flow of refugees into Yida has dried into a trickle, as SAF has blocked most of the civilians attempting to flee the Nuba Mountains. On January 30, the Enough Project obtained a report from Yida camp that currently hosts 28,500 refugees. The Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust, or HART, a U.K.-based aid group, reported: [A]t least 923 bombs have been dropped on South Kordofan since June 2011. Such constant aerial bombardment has prevented farmers from cultivating their land and recent reports from Buram and Heiban localities suggest food will last the average family no more than 2-3 months if they eat only one meal per day. HART’s partners in South Kordofan are reporting possibility of severe famine. “In effect, they’re creating a kill box, cutting off the flow of refugees,” Enough Project Director of Communications Jonathan Hutson said in an interview on CBN News on January 27. “They’re encircling the Nuba people of the Nuba Mountains, as part of an ethnic cleansing campaign.” SSP’s latest report, “Chokepoint: Evidence of SAF Control of Refugee Route to South Sudan,” follows up on its January 25 report that documented evidence of the SAF encircling the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan in apparent preparation for an onslaught against the rebel stronghold of the Kauda Valley. http://reliefweb.int/node/473647 END1 2. Satellite imagery tracks Kharoum’s South Kordofan refugee “chokepoint” By Toby Collins January 31, 2012 (LONDON) – The US Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP) released a report on 27 January stating that satelitte imagery from South Kordofan may show Kharoum’s forces creating a “chokepoint” for refugees fleeing the area. SSP states that “consistent with reports of recent fighting in the area”, satellite imagery appears to show Khartoum’s Sudan Armed Force (SAF), have created “what appears to be a chokepoint, with apparent artillery, main battle tanks, and infantry fighting vehicles controlling the main evacuation route for refugees attempting to flee into South Sudan”. Sudan activist and Enough Project co-founder, John Prendergast said that 45 km north of the Yida UN refugee camp in South Sudan, an estimated 200,000 civilians are being prevented access to humanitarian aid or access to the the camp by SAF’s “chokepoint”. A SAF bombing raid on the Yida refugee camp in November 2011 received widspread international condemnation. Khartoum is engaged in conflict with Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) rebels in the border states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan. Kharotum accuses South Sudan of backing the SPLM-N. Enough Project director, John Bradshaw, noted that the activity documented by the satellite is “almost identical to the Government of Sudan’s road-building activity and disposition of forces revealed by satellites in March of last year” - when SAF overran the disputed region of Abyei in May 2011, resulting in the displacement, according to the UN, of nearly 100,000 people. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/Satellite-imagery-tracks-Kharoum-s,41455 END2 3. U.S. accuses Khartoum of bombing civilians Fri Feb 3, 2012 2:05am GMT WASHINGTON Feb 2 (Reuters) - The United States accused Sudan's government on Thursday of carrying out air strikes on civilians in the restive border states of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile and said the attacks were compounding a crisis in the two areas. Humanitarian groups have accused Khartoum of carrying out a series of bombing raids on civilians, including one last month on a refugee camp that wounded one boy and left 14 people missing. In the latest incident, Samaritan's Purse, a Christian relief organization, said a Bible school in the Nuba Mountains was bombed. Two buildings were destroyed but the organization said no one was hurt. Sudan's government has repeatedly denied carrying out bombing attacks on civilians. "The United States strongly condemns the bombing by the Sudanese Armed Forces of civilian populations in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States in Sudan," the White House said in a statement. "Aerial attacks on civilian targets are unjustified and unacceptable. Such attacks are a violation of international law and compound the ongoing crisis in these areas," the statement said. In a separate statement, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said she was "outraged" by what she said was a "heinous" bombing of the school. South Sudan seceded from Sudan in July under a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war, but the two countries have remained at loggerheads over issues including oil, debt and fighting along the poorly drawn border. Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile both border South Sudan and are home to tens of thousands of fighters who fought Khartoum as part of the southern army during the civil war. The United States has said it fears a large-scale famine in the two border states and has sought to boost pressure on Khartoum to allow greater humanitarian access. (Reporting By Caren Bohan; editing by Christopher Wilson) http://af.reuters.com/article/sudanNews/idAFL2E8D30BT20120203?sp=true END3 4. Up to 500,000 new refugees could flee to S. Sudan-WFP Mon Jan 30, 2012 3:28pm GMT By Hereward Holland JUBA Jan 30 (Reuters) - Conflict and food shortages could push up to half a million Sudanese refugees to flee to South Sudan in the next couple months if Khartoum does not allow aid agencies more access to its restive border regions, the World Food Programme said. South Sudan seceded in July under a 2005 peace deal that ended a decades-long civil war with the north, but fighting has continued on both sides of the poorly drawn border. The United States has pressed Khartoum to allow more aid in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, citing expert reports that said more than a quarter of a million people could be on the brink of famine there by March. Sudan's ambassador to the United Nations this month dismissed concerns of a looming crisis in the two states, saying the situation there was "normal". World Food Programme deputy executive director Ramiro Lopes Da Silva said more than 1,000 people per day have crossed into South Sudan over the last week, as many people as were crossing into Kenya from Somalia at the peak of the famine in the Horn of Africa last year. "In a couple of months it is what is typically the hunger season both in Sudan and South Sudan and obviously the potential impact on those populations is very serious," Da Silva told reporters. "There is a sense of urgency that the window for an effective intervention with the populations where they are is narrowing." Fighting broke out in June between government forces and South Kordofan rebels who sided with the southern army during the civil war. The conflict spread to Blue Nile in September. In South Sudan, aid agencies are already helping 83,000 Sudanese who have fled aerial bombardment and ground attacks in the two states. The Sudanese government accuses South Sudan of continuing to support the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, charges Juba denies. WFP says they are already planning to feed 2.7 million South Sudanese this year, and are seeking donations to plug a cereal deficit which, according to preliminary estimates, could amount up to 500,000 tonnes. Da Silva said WFP is lobbying Khartoum to allow more humanitarian access to Blue Nile and South Kordofan, but the government is worried the assistance may fall into the hands of combatants. (Additional writing by Alexander Dziadosz) http://af.reuters.com/article/sudanNews/idAFL5E8CU34Q20120130?sp=true END4 5. Chinese official holds rare meeting with Sudan’s SPLM-N leaders January 30, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The Chinese ambassador to Addis Ababa Xie Xiaoyan met on Monday with the chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) Malik Agar and the secretary general Yasir Arman to discuss the release of workers kidnapped over the weekend during clashes with Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). In a statement released by SPLM-N, ambassador Xiaoyan and two other officials who attended the talks were instructed by Beijing to follow up on the situation relating to the missing workers employed by Sinohydro Corporation Ltd that is constructing roads in South Kordofan. It was not clear from the press release where the meeting took place. Last year Sudan asked the Interpol to issue Red notices for Arman and Agar so that they would be arrested if they travelled abroad, on charges of rebelling against the state and disturbing peace. The rebel movement admitted that they captured more than two dozen Chinese workers during their military assault on the town of Al-Abbasiya, 390 miles (630 kilometres) south of Khartoum, but promised to guarantee their safety. The governor of South Kordofan, Ahmed Haroun, announced on Sunday that 14 of the 29 Chinese hostages had been freed through an operation carried out by SAF. He added that they were relocated to North Kordofan’s capital city of Al-Obayid. Today Sudanese authorities changed the story and said that SAF freed 13 of the hostages, who were flown to Khartoum on Monday along with the 23 who weren’t taken hostage. But according to Xinhua news agency there were 47 Chinese workers at the camp when it was attacked. 29 were abducted and 18 others fled to neighbouring areas. The Sudanese army found 17 of those who had fled nearby, although one remains missing and had reportedly suffered gunshot wounds, according to the Global Times newspaper. The other 17 workers who have travelled to Khartoum were working at another camp, Chinese media said. Today the SAF spokesperson Al-Sawarmi Khalid Sa’ad was quoted by Sudan news agency SUNA as saying that they sent reinforcements to South Kordofan to “cleanse” it of SPLM-N forces. Sa’ad warned that the army holds SPLM-N responsible for the safety and well being of the 29 Chinese workers. According to SPLM-N statement, the Chinese ambassador “stressed the concern of China for the safety of the Chinese workers and for their return home to their families and that China is not part of the conflict in Sudan but rather the workers came for development projects in Sudan”. The SPLM-N officials on the other hand promised Xiaoyan that they will “cooperate fully” with Beijing to secure the safe return of the workers “as it is the time of the Chinese New Year celebration and the SPLM-N would like those workers to be with their families during this time”. They also requested that China ensures that its workers be moved “outside of the war zone in South Kordofan and Blue Nile” while stressing that it welcomes the contribution of China in development but only after the war ends. “The SPLM-N calls upon China to contribute to the humanitarian operation and to ask Khartoum government to open safe corridors for humanitarian operations and access, which has been denied by the National Congress leadership, and to call again upon China to support the SPLM-N’s demand of an international investigation on the war crimes; to stop the genocide by Khartoum and the impunity which encourages more crimes against Sudanese people; and to support the demand of the SPLM-N of a holistic approach that will end the tragedy and misery of the Sudanese people and bring a just peace to Sudan. Likewise, the SPLM-N asked the Chinese delegation to convey to Khartoum that they should stop any military operations in the area where the Chinese are present until their safe evacuation”. The rebel movement said the Chinese envoy “expressed the appreciation of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese Government of the SPLM-N’s understanding and cooperation and the need to continue the dialogue and the relations between the two”. China’s ambassador to Khartoum Luo Xiaoguang urged the Sudanese government to work for the release of the workers. "We hope that the Sudanese government will continue doing its utmost to bring back the missing and abducted Chinese nationals as soon as possible," Luo said, according to Xinhua. SAF has been battling SPLM-N forces in South Kordofan since June 2011 after a dispute over the governor elections in which Haroun, the incumbent governor, was running against his deputy Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu, who is now leading the rebellion. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/Chinese-official-holds-rare,41463 END5 6. China to ask South Sudan for help on kidnapped workers Thu Feb 2, 2012 12:07pm GMT By Sui-Lee Wee BEIJING Feb 2 (Reuters) - China will press South Sudan for help in securing the release of 29 Chinese workers held captive by rebels and may appeal to the African Union and other parties to mediate in negotiations, China's state media reported on Thursday. The official Xinhua news agency also provided details on how the workers were seized by the rebels in Sudan's border state of South Kordofan and how some fled during a rescue attempt by Sudanese forces. One man was shot and is missing. The construction workers were captured last Saturday -- apparently held as pawns in a dispute between Sudan and rebels allied with the newly independent and oil-rich South Sudan. It marked the third case of abduction of Chinese in Sudan since 2004 and highlights the risks to China's expanding economic footprint in Africa in search of minerals and energy. Officials China sent to seek the release of the workers will negotiate with South Sudan's officials in that country's capital of Juba, according to an "authoritative source" cited by the People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party. "At the same time, (the group will) go through the African Union and other third or fourth parties to mediate," the paper said. "The purpose is to ensure fully that the 29 compatriots will be able to come home safely." Xinhua's account, quoting the Chinese embassy in Sudan, said rebels from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North attacked a total of 47 Chinese workers on Saturday. Eighteen managed to flee the scene of the attack and all but one of those were taken to safety after the rescue attempt on Sunday. One man from that group was shot and wounded and was missing. Twenty-nine workers remained in rebel hands and were "still in good physical condition", Xinhua said. "The Chinese embassy is very concerned about the fate of this missing person," Xinhua said. "But his chances of survival are slim as he has been shot and wounded for five days." The embassy said the area where the workers were seized had "difficult terrain", with rebels operating widely. RISKY AREAS The workers belonged to state-owned Sinohydro Corporation, a hydropower engineering and construction company. The kidnappings dramatise China's difficulties as it ventures into risky areas, generally shunned by Western companies. Beijing is facing immense pressure to secure the safe return of the abducted workers. In veiled criticism of the government, the state-owned China Daily newspaper called on it "to provide timely protection" to the country's interests abroad. "A country with a strong economic muscle should have the capacity to protect its citizens and interests, no matter where they are," the newspaper said in an editorial. China has sought to maintain good relations with Sudan, a long-time ally, and newly independent South Sudan, home to investments by state-owned Chinese oil giants China National Petroleum Corp and Sinopec. Sudan and South Sudan together made up 5 percent of China's crude oil imports in 2011, or 12.99 million barrels, ranking seventh among China's oil suppliers. Chinese customs data does not differentiate imports from South Sudan. Sudan and South Sudan, which seceded in July, are at odds over issues including oil revenues. Each accuses the other of supporting insurgencies. Arnu Ngutulu Lodi of the SPLM-N told Reuters on Wednesday that rebels had met Chinese diplomats in neighbouring Ethiopia to assure them the kidnapped workers were in good health. But he gave no indication when they might be freed. The SPLM-N also asked China to pressure Sudan to open humanitarian corridors to supply the rebel-held South Kordofan and Blue Nile areas with food and emergency aid, though that was not stated as a condition for the release of the workers. On Wednesday, China secured the release of two dozen Chinese cement factory workers who were kidnapped in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, a day after being taken hostage by Bedouin tribesmen, Chinese and Egyptian media reported. (Additional reporting by Sabrina Mao, Editing by Ken Wills and Ron Popeski) http://af.reuters.com/article/sudanNews/idAFL4E8D214K20120202?sp=true END6 7. The SPLM-N Establishes Contact with China and Forms a Three-Person Committee to Secure the Safety and the Evacuation of the Chinese Workers Out of the War Zone On January 30, 2012, an SPLM-N delegation led by its Chairman, Malik Agar, along with the Secretary General, Yasir Arman, and the Treasurer, Ramdan Hassan, met with the Chinese Ambassador, Xie Xiaoyan, and two colleagues, who were instructed by the Chinese government to follow-up on the issue of 29 Chinese workers and technicians who were constructing a road in the Abassya-rashad area where the Sudan government laid a failed ambush against the SPLA-N. That road, for now, will be used to support the National Congress’ genocidal military effort. Ambassador Xie stressed the concern of China for the safety of the Chinese workers and for their return home to their families and that China is not part of the conflict in Sudan but rather the workers came for development projects in Sudan. It is worth mentioning that before the meeting, we had established contact with Commander Abdel Aziz el-Hilu, the Deputy Chairperson of the SPLM-N, who said that the Chinese are in safe hands with SPLA-N; that he already gave strict instructions to secure the safety of the Chinese and their return back to China from the war zone; and he warned the National Congress forces that they should not target the Chinese area by aerial bombardment or ground attack. If they did so, they would be held responsible especially after the meeting with the Chinese Ambassador. The official spokesperson of the National Congress forces mentioned to the press that they are sending forces to attack the SPLA-N area where the Chinese are located and that came after the continuous lies by him and Ahmed Haroun regarding the Chinese workers. In the meeting, the SPLM-N leadership stressed the following: 1) The SPLM-N will do everything possible to secure the safety of the Chinese workers and it will cooperate fully with the Chinese Government and the Chinese Communist Party to ensure the safety of the Chinese citizens and to secure their return home out of the war zone especially as it is the time of the Chinese New Year celebration and the SPLM-N would like those workers to be with their families during this time. 2) The SPLM-N requests from China to relocate Chinese citizens outside of the war zone in South Kordofan and Blue Nile and the SPLM-N welcomes the contribution of China in development after the war ends. 3) The SPLM-N delegation gave background of the present conflict in the North and about the “Northern Question” to the Chinese delegation and explained in detail the aggression of the National Congress against the SPLM-N and their decision to ban the organization, the killing and wounding of hundreds of civilian populations in the aggression, arbitrary arrest of its leaders and sentencing some of them to death, continuous barbaric attacks from air and land which resulted in the displacement and refuge of hundreds of thousands of civilians inside and outside of Sudan in South Kordofan and Blue Nile and in the neighboring countries of the Republic of South Sudan and Ethiopia. The SPLM-N calls upon China to contribute to the humanitarian operation and to ask Khartoum government to open safe corridors for humanitarian operations and access, which has been denied by the National Congress leadership, and to call again upon China to support the SPLM-N’s demand of an international investigation on the war crimes; to stop the genocide by Khartoum and the impunity which encourages more crimes against Sudanese people; and to support the demand of the SPLM-N of a holistic approach that will end the tragedy and misery of the Sudanese people and bring a just peace to Sudan. Likewise, the SPLM-N asked the Chinese delegation to convey to Khartoum that they should stop any military operations in the area where the Chinese are present until their safe evacuation. 4) The SPLM-N leadership has formed a three-person committee with Neroun Philip as the Chairperson and Hishim Wrta from the SPLM-N humanitarian wing and Arnu Ngtullu Loddi, the official spokesperson of the SPLM-N, to follow-up and to secure the safety of the Chinese workers and to evacuate them in full coordination with the Chinese Government. The Ambassador of China expressed the appreciation of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese Government of the SPLM-N’s understanding and cooperation and the need to continue the dialogue and the relations between the two. Yasir Arman SPLM-N Secretary General January 31st, 2012 END7 8. Ethiopia says 17,000 Sudanese refugees returned home ArticleComments (1) EmailPrintSave January 30, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – Some 17,000 Sudanese refugees recently returned to their homeland in Blue Nile state, announced the Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on Monday. Fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) in Blue Nile state on the first day of September 2011, as a direct result of clashes with Khartoum in South Kordofan state which began in June of last year. In a speech reported by the national news agency at the launch of International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) report for 2011 in the Ethiopian capital, Hailemariam said his country received some 35,000 Sudanese refugees who fled the violence. However he said that 17,000 Sudanese have now voluntarily returned to their homeland, stressing that Ethiopia is pursuing a policy of receiving immigrants that are coming to its land and providing care until their problems are resolved. The Sudanese army in November retook the control of all the big towns and inhabited areas in Blue Nile from the SPLM-N fighters. With the seizure of Kurmuk, the main rebel stronghold town in the state, the group now controls small areas at the border with South Sudan. Ethiopia who leads the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) regional organisation tried to mediate the government and the rebel group but failed to reconcile the positions of the two parties. The fight between Khartoum and the SPLM-N, who have historical relations with Juba’s ruling party, might ignite armed conflict with the newly independent South Sudan, as the latter also has differences with Sudan. The continued fighting between Sudan and the SPLM-N particularly in the South Kordofan state pushed the international community to predict a new humanitarian crisis in the region as the UN officials say over 500,000 refugees are expected to flee the region. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/Ethiopia-says-17-000-Sudanese,41460 END8 ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan, South Sudan Advisor [email protected] +254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile) +211 919 695 362 (South Sudan mobile) +27 82 050 1235 (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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