S. Sudan’s Kiir orders army pullout from border areas
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March 10, 2013 (JUBA) - South Sudan president, Salva Kiir, has issued
an order for immediate withdrawal of the national army (SPLA) from its
border areas with Sudan, as part of the security agreement reached
with the latter on Friday in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
JPEG - 13 kb
Salva Kiir (Reuters)
The president’s directive, announced on the state-owned SSTV, comes
two days after Sudan and South Sudan agreed on immediate and
unconditional withdrawal of forces to their side within two weeks, to
allow for establishment of a safe demilitarized border zone.
The two countries, according to the African Union High Level
Implementation Panel (AUHIP), also committed themselves to the
deployment of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism
(JBVMM) and the activation of all security related mechanisms from 10
March
"The president of the republic has directed withdrawal of the SPLA
forces from the border areas. These instructions have been sent to the
general commands for immediate implementations", Kiir said in the
statement.
Both countries, under the agreement, are required to deploy their
troops 10 kilometers from their current positions to their side of the
border with each other, with the United Nations Interim Security
Forces for Abyei (UNISFA) tasked with monitoring roles.
Last year, The inclusion of ’Mile 14’ in the proposed border buffer
zone caused consternation in South Sudan’s Northern Bahr el Ghazal,
despite the African Union and United Nations making clear that the
location of the buffer zone would have no bearing on any final border
settlement.
Sudan had initially proposed for the extension of the demilitarised
area on the common border to include Blue Nile and South Kordofan, a
proposal Juba declined to accept. The Sudanese army later claimed Juba
refuses to pull out its troops from the disputed area of Mile 14.
James Hoth Mai, the SPLA chief of staff said he was aware of the
president’s directive, and has issued instructions for immediate
implementation.
"It is true. We have received orders from the presidency. The
president of the republic has directed withdrawal of the SPLA forces
from the border areas with Sudan with immediate effect, but it is in
the event when it is seen to be a fully coordinated exercise", said
the senior army official.
He however said Kiir’s order implies that as the SPLA begin to
withdraw from the borders; their counterparts in the north (SAF)
should equally do the same.
"It is not a one sided movement. It must be done in line with security
arrangement matrix as came out in the Joint Political Security
Mechanism meeting", Hoth told reporters in the capital, Juba.
The SPLA chief, did not reveal when the actual pullout of the army
exercise would commence.
"We will start. The orders are being communicated through chain of
command. Division commanders and commanding officers in the areas
where withdrawal will take place are being informed. They are getting
these orders now. We are communicating", he said.
This is itself a starting process of implementing the president’s
directive, Hoth added.
Philip Aguer, the SPLA spokesperson also confirmed the order, but said
the army withdrawal process will be a coordinated exercise, monitored
and witnessed by international observers.
"The SPLA forces will withdraw from the border areas. We will withdraw
from Sirmilaka in Western Bahr el Ghazal and the Sudan armed forces
will withdraw from Kafia Kinji and other areas that they occupy. They
will withdraw from Teshkuin in Unity State, Joda and Magnes in Upper
Nile State. It will be a coordinated and complete process", Aguer said
in a statement.
Aguer further said the implementation process would be within the
framework of the Joint Political Security Mechanism, which the two
sides agreed upon last week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
"The implementation will be within the framework of the outcomes of
the Joint Political Security Mechanism which calls for implementation
of the security arrangement as [per the] September agreement", the
SPLA spokesperson said in separate interview Sunday.
(ST)
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