South Sudan denies hosting Darfur rebels
July 22, 2012 (AWEIL) - South Sudan on Sunday denied providing any military support nor hosting rebel groups fighting government of neighboring Sudan, arguing that Khartoum was only "covering attacks" its army carried out inside its territory. Fighters of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rest in the bush as they drink tea (file/Reuters) Khartoum on Saturday dismissed South Sudanese accusations of bombing different locations in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state last Friday stressing it bombarded inside its territory a convoy of Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) rebels who arrived in South Darfur state from South Sudan. However, South Sudan’s Minister of Information and media affairs Barnaba Marial Benjamin on Sunday denied presence of the Sudanese rebel group in the area and described news reports quoting Sudanese officials as "mere political propaganda and cover up" of attacks by the Sudanese army. "Sudan is making unfounded allegations to cover up the well documented attacks it troops has carried out in areas inside territorial boundary of the republic of South Sudan ever since we became an independent state," the minister said on Sunday. “There has never been presence of any military groups anywhere in any part of South Sudan nor do we provide any sort of support", he further said stressing that Juba kept saying that but Sudan continue to "make unfounded lies and claims". UN resolution and African Union road map provide that the two countries should stop to support rebel groups from both sides and to commit themselves to resolve their dispute peacefully. Also the two countries agreed in a strategic framework signed on 7 July to build confidence and to cooperate in total transparence to implement a number of security arrangements dealing with the presence of rebel groups. JEM on Sunday dismissed, once again, the statements of the spokesperson of the Sudanese negotiating team Omer Dahab how said the army bombed the rebel groups inside Darfur region. "JEM has not come under any aerial bombardment in the past few days, neither in South Kordofan, West Kordofan, South Darfur or anywhere else in Sudan", said Gibreel Adam Bilal. The country’s military sources in the capital of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Aweil city, on Sunday told Sudan Tribune situation along the borderline in Northern Bahr el Ghazal remains under control. However, local officials claim presence of heavy weapons and movement of tanks with troops towards the border, generating fearing of possible retaliation if the Sudanese army launch ground incursion in the state. The countries clashed in April over Panthou or Heglig when the SPLA occupied the oil area accusing Khartoum of carrying out multiple ground attacks deep inside Unity state. Khartoum said it was pursing JEM rebels. JEM dismissed again today the accusations of the Sudanese government of air strikes on rebel combatants belonging to the rebel group. JEM has not come under any aerial bombardment in the past few days, said JEM spokesperson Gibreel Adam Bilal on Sunday. "Attacks on opponents during negotiations have been a prime policy tactic of the Khartoum government and as such, there is nothing new in this callous incident, deliberately aimed at weakening the South at the negotiating table", he added. The UN Security Council threatened to impose economic sanctions on the two countries if they fail to reach a comprehensive settlement, on 2 August, of unresolved issues they have been discussing since more than a year. (ST) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" 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 https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
