---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 11:14 AM Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] South Sudan does not want war To: Group <[email protected]>
Princeton Lyman's comments in article 8, below, are important because they signal a shift in the international community's position. Previously they only seemed to be aware of Khartoum's narrative; Lyman now appears to understand the South Sudanese narrative. "South Sudan was surprised by international condemnation of its move because officials in Juba maintain they have always claimed Heglig. Lyman says that was not apparent... 'So people did assume, as we did, that there was at least, if not an officially-recognized-by-both-sides border, there was a border which was crossed... They don't see it that way. But the point - and they have now acknowledged this - [is] that you don't settle disputed border areas by occupying them.'" Of course Lyman does not comment on why his predecessor apparently condoned Khartoum's settlement of the disputed area of Abyei by occupying it... Dr Benjamin Marial again explains South Sudan's position in article 1, below: "Panthou (Heglig) was a territory of Upper Nile until former president Japhar Nimeiry moved the provincial borders to create the Unity State after the discovery of Oil in the early of 1980’s. He added that Nafie Al Nafie then transferred it to the North in 2004 from Unity State", and that South Sudan has "expressed readiness to pull its troops from Panthou (Heglig) but... the African Union and the United Nations should put in place mechanisms that will ensure that Panthou (Heglig) will not be used by any party for military purposes". In other words, South Sudanese believe that in 1956 it was in Upper Nile. Lyman's acknowledgement that there was only an "assumption" of an agreed border sheds a very different light on the self-assured statements by the UN and AU. It is becoming increasingly clear that their statements were premature and ill-advised, and have maybe even damaged the prospects of peace. Ban Ki Moon is currently one of the most unpopular names in South Sudan! I beg to add to what my friend Richard Downie says, quoted in article 4, below: the US "really need to be laying down the law to the government in Juba now... The U.S. has to be pulling out all the stops and get the South to withdraw from Heglig". This would be fine if the US had also been "laying down the law" and "pulling out all the stops" to get the government in Khartoum to withdraw from its illegal military occupation of Abyei, or its short-lived illegal military occupations of Jau, or its military attacks on its own citizens in the Nuba Mountrains and Blue Nile, or its bombing of refugee camps and other civilian locations well inside South Sudan, all of which happened long before the current round of fighting. This one-sided approach by the international community, which has basically condoned (at best ignored, at worst colluded with, as in the case of Abyei) Khartoum's actions over the last months and years but then comes down heavily on South Sudan when, after months of restraint, it is finally provoked into a very limited military response, will not bring lasting peace to the region. Articles 2 and 3, below, sum up part of the problem. President al Bashir has been treating South Sudan as if it is a recalcitrant province (which he can "discipline" and teach a "lesson") rather than an independent sovereign state. It has not really sunk in to the mentality in Sudan that they no longer control South Sudan. They (and the international community) seem to be somewhat surprised that South Sudan actually negotiates in pursuit of its own perceived interests. They are also shocked that, following months if not years of military restraint, South Sudan has finally asserted its sovereignty with a limited military response which has been remarkably successful. They may also not realise how popular this assertion of sovereignty is with the population. Nobody welcomes the economic austerity which will result from cutting off the flow of oil, and nobody wants a return to war, but nevertheless the population appears to be firmly behind their government in these measures which they consider a necessary response to Khartoum's attitudes and actions. John BEGIN 1. Juba Denies Being At War With Khartoum The South Sudanese government in Juba has denied being at war with Khartoum. This was stated in a press conference held yesterday by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Dr. Barnaba Marial Benjamin who is also the official spokesperson of the government. By Lopu Moses JUBA, 20th April 2012 [Gurtong] “The Republic of South Sudan is not in the state of war nor is it interested in war with Sudan”, Dr. Barnaba said. He said that the resolution of the Sudan National Assembly declaring the Republic of South Sudan an enemy is unfortunate and amounts to a declaration of war against South Sudan. He reiterated his government’s commitment to peaceful relations between the two viable states living together side by side in peace and mutual security, respect for each other’s sovereignty and cooperation in pursuit of mutual interest of the two countries. The Sudanese President, Omar Hassan Al-Bashir was yesterday quoted by the BBC as saying the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) will either pursue SPLA to Juba or else the SPLA pursues SAF to Khartoum. The Minister said that the presence of SPLA in Panthou (Heglig) is to put to an end repeated attacks by Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) into the positions of SPLA in South Sudan. He added that the presence of the SAF in Heglig was of great security threat. Dr. Barnaba explained that Panthou (Heglig) was a territory of Upper Nile until former president Japhar Nimeiry moved the provincial borders to create the Unity State after the discovery of Oil in the early of 1980’s. He added that Nafie Al Nafie then transferred it to the North in 2004 from Unity State. The South Sudanese government has expressed readiness to pull its troops from Panthou (Heglig) but said that the African Union (AU) and the United Nations should put in place mechanisms that will ensure that Panthou (Heglig) will not be used by any party for military purposes. He further called for the presence of the International monitors and the United Nations before their withdrawal arguing that they are preventing what happened in Abyei from happening in Heglig where the SAF refused to withdraw after the SPLA withdrew. Juba has however urged that the following be done: 1- Immediate cessation of hostilities along the borders 2- Immediate demarcation of the agreed upon borders areas 3- Government of both South Sudan and Sudan to acknowledge and support the call by the UN Security Council on both parties to withdraw their forces from Abeyi region as per the agreement reached last year, which also states that Ethiopian peace keeping forces are to fill the security vacuum. 4- Referral of the disputes pertaining to the status of the contested areas to the international Arbitration. 5- The Government of South Sudan is ready for immediate resumption of negotiations on all outstanding issues. The Information Minister also said that the President of South Sudan still wants to meet Al-Bashir despite what he said and declaring South Sudan as an enemy. http://www.gurtong.net/ECM/Editorial/tabid/124/ctl/ArticleView/mid/519/articleId/6834/Juba-Denies-Being-At-War-With-Khartoum.aspx END1 2. Bashir declares war to “discipline” South Sudan April 19, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese President Omer Al-Bashir continued his tirade against South Sudan on Thursday with a declaration of war to “discipline” Juba. Al-Bashir has already taken war rhetoric with South Sudan to unprecedented levels, telling supporters at a rally in the capital Khartoum a day earlier that his goal is to topple the government of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Juba to free South Sudan’s people. Addressing a similar mobilization rally in al-Obayid, the capital of North Kordofan State, Al-Bashir said that his country would forget about “carrots” and use the “stick” to “discipline” the leaders of South Sudan. Dressed in military uniform, Al-Bashir stressed that Khartoum would not cede an inch of its territories to the South Sudan’s army SPLA which he described as a group of “traitors and mercenaries.” He further accused Juba’s government of being the friend of “Zionism and agents of the West”, vowing that Khartoum will be South Sudan’s first enemy. Last week, the Sudanese parliament declared South Sudan an enemy state after the SPLA wrestled control of Heglig oil-producing area following the most serious fighting between the two countries since the south seceded in July last year. “We will be its [South Sudan’s] first enemy and we will work to discipline it and teach it a lesson that [Juba] will never forget” Al-Bashir told the crowd. He went on to deride the actions of South Sudan’s leaders, saying they have failed to run the country that Khartoum gave them and that even animals are more intelligent than them. Al-Bashir also poured scorn on indications by the UN Security Council that it might impose sanctions on the two countries, saying he believes neither the US nor the UN will ever punish South Sudan. “It is up to you to punish them” Al-Bashir addressed the crowd. In Washington, meanwhile, the spokesman for the US state department, Mark Toner, expressed concern over heightened rhetoric between the two sides and reiterated calls for immediate cessation of hostilities. Toner noted the “unconstructive” rhetoric being made and said that his country wants to see an immediate and unconditional cessation of violence by both parties.” He went on to specify that this means immediate withdrawal of South Sudanese forces from Heglig” and “an immediate end to all aerial bombardments of South Sudan by the Sudanese armed forces.” (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/Bashir-declares-war-to-discipline,42323 END2 3. Bashir says Sudan to teach South "final lesson by force" Thu Apr 19, 2012 5:07pm GMT * Border clashes have edged countries closer to war * Bashir speech interrupted by cheering, chanting * China expresses concern over growing tensions (Adds Ban Ki-moon comments) By Khalid Abdelaziz and Ulf Laessing KHARTOUM/JUBA, April 19 (Reuters) - Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir all but declared war against his newly independent neighbour on Thursday, vowing to teach South Sudan a "final lesson by force" after it occupied a disputed oil field. South Sudan accused Bashir of planning "genocide" and said it would fight to protect its people. Mounting violence since Sudan split into two countries last year has raised the prospect of two sovereign African states waging war against each other openly for the first time since Ethiopia fought newly-independent Eritrea in 1998-2000. Both are poor countries - South Sudan is one of the poorest in the world - and the dispute between them has already halted nearly all the oil production that underpins both economies. Appearing in medal-spangled military uniform at a large rally, Bashir danced side-to-side, waved his walking stick in the air and made blistering threats against the leadership of the South, which seceded last year after decades of civil war. "These people don't understand, and we will give them the final lesson by force," the burly military ruler told the rally in El-Obeid, capital of the North Kordofan state. "We will not give them an inch of our country, and whoever extends his hand on Sudan, we will cut it off." China, a major investor in the oil industry in both countries, expressed "serious concern" about the increase of tensions and called on both sides to stop fighting, "maintain calm and exercise maximum restraint". U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said South Sudan's seizure of the oil field was an "illegal act" and called on both countries to stop fighting. South Sudan separated from the rest of Sudan with Bashir's blessing last July under the terms of a 2005 peace deal. But since then violence has steadily escalated, fuelled by territorial disputes, ethnic animosity and quarrels over oil. Last week, South Sudan seized Heglig, a disputed oilfield near the border between the two countries, claiming it as its rightful territory and saying it would only withdraw if the United Nations deployed a neutral force there. Sudan's armed forces spokesman Al-Sawarmi Khalid said by phone the army was now fighting "inside Heglig." South Sudan's army (SPLA) said it had repulsed a large attack on Heglig on Wednesday evening, stopping Sudan's forces about 28 km (18 miles) from the territory. "The SPLA maintained its position," spokesman Philip Aguer said. He also accused Sudan of launching another attack in the border regions of South Sudan's Western Bahr al-Ghazal state. In a sign of the conflict widening, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) - considered the most militarily potent of the rebel factions in Sudan's western Darfur region - claimed it had launched an assault on the al-Kharsana oil region near Heglig. "We are surrounding the Sudanese army in the main military base in al-Kharsana," JEM spokesman Gibreel Adam Bilal said by phone. Heglig is hundreds of km away from JEM's bases in Darfur but the group has fought in the Kordofan region in the past. The Sudanese army spokesman, Khalid, denied JEM's statement, saying there was no fighting in the al-Kharsana area. Limited access for independent journalists to Sudan's remote conflict zones makes it difficult to confirm the often contradictory claims issued by all sides. "HEGLIG IS NOT THE END" African states have often waged war on each other's territory, but it is extremely rare for them to talk openly of fighting against government forces of sovereign neighbours. Bashir's address to the rally on Thursday followed a fiery speech to party supporters on Wednesday, when he vowed to "liberate" South Sudan from its ruling party, which he repeatedly referred to as "insects", in a play on its Arabic name. South Sudan's Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin responded on Thursday with outrage. "Mr. President, we are no insects and if you are launching your genocide activities to the Republic of South Sudan to kill the people of South Sudan .... we can assure you we will protect the lives of our citizens." However, he also said South Sudan was willing to resume talks immediately on all outstanding issues. "The Republic of South Sudan is not in a state of war, nor is it interested in war with Sudan," he said. In both speeches, Bashir vowed to retake the Heglig oilfield, which he said was part of Sudan's Kordofan region. But he also said that alone would not end the conflict. "Heglig is not the end, but the beginning," he said in Thursday's speech. Global powers have voiced alarm at the escalation of violence and urged the two to stop fighting and return to talks. "China has worked hard to ameliorate the problems between the two Sudans, and we will continue to work with the international community at mediation efforts," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told a daily news briefing in Beijing. Some 2 million people died in Sudan's civil war, fought for all but a few years from 1955 to 2005 over disputes of ideology, ethnicity and religion. The countries remain at odds over issues including the border, how much the landlocked South should pay to transport its oil through Sudan and the division of national debt. Both countries accuse each other of waging proxy war through militia operating on each other's territory. Sudan's military - with an air force, tanks and artillery - is far better equipped than the former guerrilla fighters who make up the South Sudan army. In addition to the civil war in the south, Sudan has also fought long-simmering rebellions in Darfur and its South Kordofan and Blue Nile border states. Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court in the Hague for war crimes in connection with the Darfur conflict, charges he rejects as political. The south has tens of thousands of fighters under arms, with decades of experience in guerrilla conflict. (Reporting by Ali Abdelatti, Khalid Abdelaziz, Alexander Dziadosz, Ulf Laessing and Ben Blanchard; Writing by Alexander Dziadosz; Editing by Peter Graff) http://af.reuters.com/article/sudanNews/idAFL6E8FJ3JC20120419?sp=true END3 4. U.S. struggles to head off wider Sudan conflict Thu Apr 19, 2012 9:21pm GMT * U.S. sees 'very serious crisis,' threat of war * Despite backing, US leverage with S.Sudan appears limited * Pushing for broader talks as immediate crisis mounts By Andrew Quinn WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - The United States is working to push Sudan and South Sudan back from the brink of war as the two sides ratchet up hostilities that threaten to upend the U.S.-backed peace deal that led to South Sudan's independence last year. The Obama administration's special envoy for Sudan, Princeton Lyman, said on Thursday the situation was a "very serious crisis" that threatened wider conflict between the two foes, which fought a brutal civil war for decades before finally signing a 2005 peace agreement. But analysts said Washington, which worked hard to ensure that South Sudan seceded peacefully last year under the terms of the 2005 pact, found itself with very limited leverage. "This is a level of hostility we haven't seen for years," said Jonathan Temin, director of the Sudan program at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a government-funded Washington think tank. "For the U.S., good options are limited right now." Lyman, speaking by telephone from Khartoum during a trip which also took him to the South's capital, Juba, said the Obama administration was working to nudge both sides back into discussions of their basic security concerns while attempting to cool down the heated rhetoric. "It's not going to be easy. Emotions are running very, very high," Lyman said. "It is important that we get the parties and our international colleagues together around this fundamental question of security." Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, vowed on Thursday to teach South Sudan "a final lesson by force" after it occupied a disputed oil field. The South says the Heglig field, which accounts for about half of the North's remaining oil production, is in its territory. But Khartoum called the seizure an assault on its sovereignty. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called the takeover "a clearly illegal act.". The standoff over Heglig follows months of disputes over the position of the border, how much the landlocked South should pay to transport its oil through Sudan, and the division of national debt, among other issues. South Sudan in January shut down its oil production of 350,000 barrels per day in protest after Khartoum began taking some of its oil, exacerbating economic crises that have hobbled both countries. Khartoum says it took the oil as compensation for the use of its transportation facilities. Lyman said he urged South Sudan to pull out of Heglig, and believed the South Sudanese leaders were caught by surprise by the strong international condemnation of the move. SECURITY ISSUES Lyman said the United States, together with the African Union and the Arab League, would push for dialogue on three central security points: the establishment of a 20-km (12-mile) demilitarized border zone, the end of support for proxy fighters and a halt to rebel fighting in Sudan's Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states. "That pulls together three critical security issues, which are really what's underneath these series of clashes that's been going on since last June," Lyman said. The United States also hopes that China - a major economic partner for both of the poor African neighbors - would bring its influence to bear when South Sudan's president, Salva Kiir, visits Beijing next week, Lyman said. It remained unclear whether anyone in Khartoum or Juba was ready to listen. While Washington's ties to Khartoum have long been strained, it has also made surprisingly little headway with Juba despite the U.S. role as a major aid provider and guarantor of the 2005 peace deal. "They really need to be laying down the law to the government in Juba now," said Richard Downie, deputy director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "The U.S. has to be pulling out all the stops and get the South to withdraw from Heglig," Downie said. "Right now we're beyond a worse-case scenario. You've got a war combined with an economic crisis combined with an oil shutdown, which is about as bad as you can get." The U.N. Security Council has discussed the possibility of imposing sanctions on both Sudan and South Sudan if the fighting does not stop - a potentially disastrous prospect for countries already on the verge of economic meltdown. "Just the fact that people are mentioning (sanctions) I hope sends the signal to both parties: this is very serious business, it effects international peace and security and the parties must work with all of us to get it under control," Lyman said. (Editing by Peter Cooney) http://af.reuters.com/article/sudanNews/idAFL2E8FJFJ120120419?sp=true END4 5. South Sudan denies that Heglig was recaptured by SAF after Bashir’s speech April 19, 2012 (JUBA/BENTUI) – The army of South Sudan today has denied reports that the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) took back control of the oil-rich region of Heglig. On Wednesday, the Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir promised “good news” from the Heglig front within ‘hours’ which was understood to mean that SAF was on its way to reclaim the area occupied by Juba since last week. But the spokesperson of South Sudan army Phillip Aguer told Sudan Tribune on Thursday that SAF’s claims to have entered Heglig is a "white lie” aimed at diverting attention from the actual situation on the ground. "Yesterday [Wednesday] the SPLA defeated the advancing forces of Sudan Armed Forces, took control of Katasla [Kilo23] and captured three tanks plus lots of military equipments from the enemy," Aguer said by phone. He said the Sudanese army was simply "retreating back to its territory" while the SPLA continued to advance and will soon complete the liberation of its border territories in Upper Nile, Unity and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states. The commander of the SPLA’s 4th division, James Gatduel Gatluak, told Sudan Tribune on Wednesday from Heglig that his forces were prepared for a SAF offensive. Gatluak said his forces were in full control of South Sudan’s border 40 miles north of Heglig town. He dismissed Khartoum’s claims that Heglig is part of their territory, citing the 1956 border between the countries as demarcated by the ex-colonial Egyptian-British administration. Sudan’s parliament declared South Sudan an enemy state on Monday and on Wednesday president Bashir vowed to remove the SPLM from power in Juba, further ratcheting up the war rhetoric between the two sides. On Tuesday groups of journalists including a Sudan Tribune reporter toured Heglig where multiple corpses were seen strewn on the ground. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/South-Sudan-s-SPLA-denies-that,42314 END5 6. South Sudan Says It Repelled 4 Sudanese Attacks in Past 24 Hours By Jared Ferrie - Apr 19, 2012 4:55 PM GMT+0300 South Sudan said Sudan attacked its troops four times in the past 24 hours, including an offensive against forces occupying the disputed oil-rich border area of Heglig. Soldiers from the two countries also clashed twice in the South Sudanese border state of Northern Bahr el-Ghazal and once in Western Bahr el-Ghazal, the south’s military spokesman, Philip Aguer, told reporters today in the capital, Juba. Fighting between Sudan and its newly independent neighbor has itensified since April 10 when southern forces occupied Heglig. Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir told a rally today that his army would retake the area in what he said would be “the decisive battle.” South Sudan occupied Heglig on April 10 to stop Sudan’s military from continuing to launch ground and air attacks from the area, Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told reporters in Juba. Southern forces are ready to withdraw provided that international monitors are sent to Heglig and Khartoum agrees to international arbitration to determine which country owns the area, he said. Sudanese Army spokesman al-Sawarami Khaled didn’t answer calls seeking comment. A vote by Sudan’s parliament on April 16 declaring the government of South Sudan an “enemy” amounted “to a declaration of war,” Benjamin told reporters in Juba. “The Republic of South Sudan is not in a state of war nor is it interested in war with Sudan.” Oil Control While both countries claim Heglig, Sudan has administered its oil fields since the south seceded in July, assuming control of about three-quarters of the formerly united country’s production of 490,000 barrels a day. Since southern forces occupied the area, oil production of 40,000 barrels a day has been shut down, out of Sudan’s total output of 115,000 barrels a day, the Sudanese ambassador toKenya, Kamal Ismail Saeed, said in Nairobi yesterday. Benjamin said South Sudan would be willing to discuss sharing revenue from the Heglig fields if the governments agree to go to arbitration. “Yes, we can talk about oil in that place,” he said. “Our interest is not oil, our interest is that the land is ours.” Jared Ferrie Journalist, South Sudan +211 (0) 991 896 982 +211 (0) 977 567 867 END6 7. JEM rebels clash with Sudanese army near S. kordofan oil fields April 19, 2012 (KHARTOUM) — The rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) said Thursday its troops clashed with the Sudanese army near Kharasana, near the disputed Heglig in South Kordofan. JEM and the two main factions of Sudan Liberation Movement led by Adel Wahid (SLM-AW) and Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) are part of Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), formed last November with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM) which fights Khartoum in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. The four rebel groups vow to topple Khartoum’s regime. However, the SLM-AW distanced itself from the fight over Heglig as the Sudan Armed Forces (FAS) accuse JEM of taking part in the attack on its troops by the South Sudanese army. In a statement released Thursday JEM military spokesperson, Badawi Mosa Al-Sakin, said they defeated the Sudanese troops in two positions in Kharsana near Heglig, South Kordofan. The rebel official, said the attack comes in the framework of SRF policy to dispossess Khartoum of oil revenue. Adding that two Darfurian small groups, SLM-Unity and a splinter faction of the Liberation and Justice Movement (LJM) took participated in the attack. The two groups are not part of the SRF but coordinating with JEM. On 13 April, a LJM splinter faction signed a merger pact with JEM. The deal was inked by Ahmed Hussein Adam, foreign relations secretary and Sayed Charif Jarel Nabi, acting leader of LJM breakaway group. The Sudanese army did not react to the statement. South Sudan is under huge international pressure to withdraw its troops from Heglig, in a bid to contain the conflict and push Khartoum and Juba to negotiate a peaceful settlement to their divergences. The rebel groups might seek to control areas the South Sudanese troops withdraw from. However, Khartoum says it would not stop its forces at the border if oil installations are damaged by the attackers. (ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/JEM-rebels-clash-with-Sudanese,42324 END7 8. US: Sudan and South Sudan Want to Avoid 'All-Out War' April 19, 2012 VoA Scott Stearns | State Department The United States says Sudan and South Sudan want to find a way to avoid "all-out war," following violence across their border. The two countries have been unable to resolve disputes over borders, oil and citizenship issues stemming from the south's independence last July. After talks with officials from both governments, U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Princeton Lyman says the two sides realize how close they are to a resumption of full-scale war, and how costly that would be. "In the discussions I have had in both Khartoum and Juba, I can say with confidence that virtually everyone I have talked to has said, 'Look, we don't want to go to all-out war with the other. We need to find a way out,'" said Lyman. But Lyman says there remain serious disagreements about what is needed to end the conflict. "It's not going to be easy," he said. "Emotions are running very, very high. But I think the bottom line here, the basic line is that both countries are arguing about security." Months of hostility over oil pipeline and port fees peaked last week when South Sudan fighters took control of the key oil town of Heglig. Speaking to reporters by telephone from Khartoum, Lyman says South Sudan was surprised by international condemnation of its move because officials in Juba maintain they have always claimed Heglig. Lyman says that was not apparent in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended 21 years of fighting and led to southern independence. "So people did assume, as we did, that there was at least, if not an officially-recognized-by-both-sides border, there was a border which was crossed," he said. "They don't see it that way. But the point - and they have now acknowledged this - [is] that you don't settle disputed border areas by occupying them." Before withdrawing from Heglig, Lyman says South Sudan wants assurances that there will be no more attacks by Sudanese-backed militias or Sudanese bombing raids as well as the withdrawal of northern troops from the town of Abyei. Lyman says Khartoum's patience over the occupation of Heglig appears to be growing thin, with President Omar al-Bashir's vow on Thursday to teach the south "a lesson by force." Part of the instability along the border is continuing violence in the provinces of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, where many people fought alongside the south for independence from Khartoum, but remain part of Sudan. "Across that border, there has been support for proxies and there is spillover from the Southern Kordofan/Blue Nile wars," said Lyman. "And that is creating a series of clashes and conflicts across the border as each tries to secure its own interests as they see them along that border." Humanitarian officials say widespread hunger in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile is worsening. The African Union, Arab League and United Nations have a joint proposal to allow aid shipments to the region. Lyman says Khartoum agrees in principle to the plan, and that he is pushing hard to overcome remaining questions about how parts of the proposal would be carried out. "I am also hoping that with the announcement of a humanitarian program, we will also almost by default get a cessation of hostilities in that area, and that hopefully creates a better atmosphere for peace," he said. Lyman says international mediators are working with both governments to return to a previously agreed on demilitarized and monitored 20-kilometer buffer zone to settle on a final border between them. http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/US-Sudan-and-South-Sudan-Want-to-Avoid-All-Out-War-148171415.html 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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