---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Tue, Sep 27, 2011 at 2:00 AM Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] Fw: Khartoum troop build-up in Blue Nile To: Group <[email protected]>
1. Sudan’s rebels report air attacks in border states September 25, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) has claimed that aerial bombardment carried out by the Sudanese army in Blue Nile State has displaced half of the population there, urging international organizations to aid the victims. According to the humanitarian relief secretary of the SPLM-N, Hashim Orta, the air forces of the “ruling National Congress Party [NCP]” were conducting more than six airstrikes on daily basis in the Blue Nile. Orta said that half of the state’s population had fled due to aerial bombardments. He further urged international relief organizations to provide urgent assistance to those affected by the alleged blitz. The SPLM-N official claimed that their forces were in control of 80 percent of the state and determined to “purge” the state of “the NCP’s militias.” The UNHCR estimates that some 20,000 people have crossed from Blue Nile state into neighboring Ethiopia since the fighting started. Similarly, the SPLM-N’s media secretary in South Kordofan State, Gamar Dalman, said that the “NCP’s air forces” on Sunday morning dropped 96 bombs on Kajama area of Aldo locality. According to Dalman, SPLM-N forces were able to identify the types of bombs which were “Iran-made” He added that the bombs had destroyed farms and killed a large number of livestock. Dalman said that “the Khartoum regime” had resorted to aerial bombardment on civilians because it failed to defeat ground forces. SPLM-N forces have been fighting Sudan’s army (SAF) in South Kordofan and Blue Nile since early June and September respectively. Khartoum has vowed to crush the rebellion but appears to be encountering a great difficulty in doing so. The SPLM-N’s secretary-general Yasir Arman this week urged U.S. congressmen to support the imposition of a no-fly zone over South Kordofan, Blue Nile and the western region of Darfur, the scene of a separate conflict between the Sudanese government and rebel groups accusing it of marginalizing the region. (ST) END1 2. Sudan prepares to attack SPLM-N’s stronghold positions in Blue Nile - group September 23, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Washington-based Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP) said today that the Sudanese army is massing heavily equipped troops to attack rebel positions in Blue Nile state. Sudanese president last July refused to engage talks with the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) saying they have to disarm first and negotiate directly with the government without a foreign mediator. The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF); which has been fighting the SPLM-N in Blue Nile state since September 1, said it controls the whole state except Kurmuk, the SPLM-N’s stronghold town near the Ethiopian border. According to the SSP, Satellite images taken on 21 September reveal that 3000 SAF troops equipped with battle tanks, towed artillery, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers and troop transports, are 64 kilometers from Kurmuk. The Sudanese troops are "apparently accompanied by half a dozen Hind attack helicopters," the satellite monitoring group adds in today’s statement. The commander of the SAF fourth infantry division in al-Damazin, Yahia Mohamed Khair on Friday inspected the front lines of the army. The general who was the Blue Nile military governor said he is determined to win the battle and clear the state of SPLM-N rebels. The army also orchestrated a rally in the state capital on Thursday with tanks and vehicles captured during the recent fighting with the SPLM-N troops in Dandro, located 100 km away to the south of al-Damazin. There are no perspective for political talks between the two parties as the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zinawi filed a proposal for the two parties told hold direct talks in Addis Ababa and to reinstate the governor of Blue Nile state in his position. In a testimony delivered at the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on Thursday, SPLM-N Secretary General Yasir Arman urged the US Congressmen to push for the imposition of a no-fly-zone in the Blue Nile Darfur and South Kordofan. The measure implies the green light of the UN Security Council. But first efforts also needed to convince the Obama Administration to support the a no-fly-zone. Obama’s special envoy to Sudan Princeton Lyman rejected idea saying it would lead to large military confrontation and affect more civilians in the troubled regions of Sudan. (ST) END2 3. SATELLITES SHOW IMMINENT THREAT OF SAF ATTACK IN BLUE NILE STATE Posted by Mollie Zapata on Sep 23, 2011 The Government of Sudan appears ready to launch a massive military drive aimed at the rebel stronghold of Kurmuk in the Blue Nile border area, says a new report by the Satellite Sentinel Project. Evidence against the Government of Sudan mounts, as yet another SSP report documents the potential for further indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force that could constitute violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. The series of 14 DigitalGlobe satellite images, taken from September 9 - 21 and analyzed by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, show evidence of heavy bombardment at Dindiro, Blue Nile, and subsequent troops massing and preparing to move south. “Since May 2011, SAF and other Government of Sudan-aligned forces, according to evidence collected by SSP, have routinely engaged in attacks against civilians in apparent violation of international humanitarian and human rights law,” said Dr. Charles Clements, executive director of the Harvard Carr Center for Human Rights Policy in the statement issued with the report. Images taken September 9 show rapid entrenchment of SAF forces in al-Damazin, the capital of Blue Nile, followed by more images from September 10 that show a battalion-sized mechanized convoy on the road from al-Damzin, passing Dindiro town and heading towards Kurmuk. The newly appointed governor of Blue Nile was quoted in a September 20 news article saying that saying that SAF are leading massive operations around Kurmuk to tighten their hold on the surrounding area and capture the city. The most recent images from September 21 show heavily camouflaged, mechanized units of at least 3,000 Sudan Armed Forces soldiers on the road to Kurmuk. As of the morning of September 21 when the last images were taken, they were just 40 miles away from the SPLA-North stronghold. SSP is issuing a human security warning as a result of the findings of this report. http://www.enoughproject.org/blogs/satellites-show-imminent-threat-saf-attack-blue-nile-state Full report at http://www.satsentinel.org/report/state-emergency-threat-saf-attack-kurmuk END3 4. Sudan deploys troops, tanks in border state-group Fri Sep 23, 2011 8:16pm GMT JUBA/KHARTOUM, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Sudan has deployed a heavily armoured brigade along a road leading to an armed opposition group's stronghold in Blue Nile State and may be poised to launch an attack, a satellite monitoring activist group said on Friday. The SPLM-North opposition group said the Sudanese air force had conducted attacked an area in Blue Nile where fighting broke out between the army and opposition earlier this month. Washington-based Satellite Sentinel Project (SSP) said at least 3,000 troops were "pointed south" along the road to Kurmuk, a town near the Ethiopian border which is seen as a SPLM-North stronghold. Satellite images captured on Sept. 21 and analysed by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, showed a "wall of armour" near Dindiro, a town around 64 kilometers (40 miles) from Kurmuk, said SSP which was founded by actor George Clooney and other activists. The group said it had identified what appeared to be main battle tanks, towed artillery, infantry fighting vehicles, armoured personnel carriers and troop transporters, apparently accompanied by six Hind attack helicopters. The Sudanese army could not be reached for comment. Events in Blue Nile are difficult to verify because most foreign media cannot travel there and aid agencies complain of a lack of access to fighting areas. On Thursday, new clashes broke out in Blue Nile's neighbouring state of South Kordofan where the army is also fighting SPLM-North groups. Both border states are home to large populations which sided with South Sudan during decades of civil war and found themselves in north Sudan after the South became independent on July 9 under a 2005 peace deal. Khartoum accuses its former civil war foe of supporting the armed opposition in the two border states. Juba denies the charges. (Reporting by Hereward Holland in Juba and Khalid Abdelaziz in Khartoum; Writing by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Sophie Hares) http://af.reuters.com/article/sudanNews/idAFL5E7KN3YZ20110923 END4 5. SUDAN: U.N., AID GROUP ALLEGEDLY TARGETED IN BLUE NILE BOMBING Posted by Laura Heaton on Sep 23, 2011 Within hours of the Satellite Sentinel Project’s warning about a possible pending attack on the town of Kurmuk, there is a report indicating that the U.N. mission and compound of Save the Children were targeted in a government bombing campaign. According to a spokesman for the opposition SPLM-North, quoted by AFP, an Antonov bombed the town, which is under SPLA-N control. The Enough Project could not confirm the attack or the targets but will attempt to substantiate through satellite images and sources on the ground the details of what allegedly occurred. In response, Enough’s Co-Founder John Prendergast said: Not only are innocent civilians being indiscriminately bombarded, which is a war crime, but government forces are also trying to remove all forms of humanitarian aid to rebellious areas. The regime intends to starve out the opposition, committing yet another crime against humanity. http://www.enoughproject.org/blogs/sudan-un-aid-group-allegedly-targeted-blue-nile-bombing END5 6. Sudan appoints new governor in Blue Nile September 20, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir has issued a degree appointing a new governor for the country’s unrest-hit southern state of Blue Nile, state media reported on Tuesday. Lieutenant-general Al-Hadi Bushra was named governor of Blue Nile which has been racked by clashes between Sudan’s army (SAF) and fighters of the armed opposition Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North since 1 September. Bushra will take over from the state’s interim military ruler who was appointed following the declaration of a state of emergency in Blue Nile and sacking of the state’s elected governor and the SPLM-N’s chairman Malik Aggar. The new appointee is a former oppositionist who was associated with the National Umma Party of former prime minister Al-Sadiq al-Mahdi. He left the country after the 1989’s coup which brought Al-Bashir to power, at which point he was serving as a director of military intelligence in the army. However, he later made peace with the government and returned to Sudan in 1996. Since that point, he served several stints in the government, including as a minister of roads and bridges and governor of some states. (ST) END6 7. Sudan army claims control of key area in Blue Nile September 21, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s army has claimed it wrestled control of a strategic area in the country’s unrest-hit southern state of Blue Nile as its newly appointed governor vowed to restore stability. Blue Nile State has been the scene of violent confrontations between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and fighters of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N). SAF and SPLM-N each accused the other of instigating the clashes which, according to the United Nations, saw 20,000 people taking refuge in neighboring Ethiopia. Following the eruption of the clashes on September 1, Sudan’s president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir declared a state of emergency in the state and sacked its elected governor and SPLM-N’s chairman Malik Aggar, appointing an interim military ruler in his place. Later on 20 September, Al-Bashir issued a decree appointing Lieutenant General Al-Hadi Bushra as an acting governor under the state of emergency. According to Al-Sawarmi Khalid Sa’ad, SAF’s official spokesman, army troops were now fully in control of the Dandro area which is located 100 km away to the south of the state’s capital Al-Damazin. Sa’ad, who was speaking to reporters in Khartoum on Wednesday, said that SAF had seized five tanks and four vehicles with arms after fighting with SPLM-N troops in Dandro. The army spokesman added that the mountainous area stood as an obstacle to the army’s advance towards the border town of Al-Kurmuk which is the bastion of SPLM-N. In response, a spokesman for the SPLM-N denied that SAF took control of Dandro, saying that fighting around the town was still continuing. Meanwhile in Khartoum, Al-Hadi Bushra was sworn-in as the acting governor of Blue Nile under the state of emergency. As he took the oath before president Al-Bashir, the new governor acknowledged the difficult task ahead of him, vowing to bring the situation back to normality despite the downfall of law. Sudan has been struggling to put out the SPLM-N’s rebellion in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states which border the newly independent state of South Sudan. Both states witnessed fierce battles during the years of Sudan’s north-south second civil war, which ended in 2005 with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that granted the south a vote on independence. (ST) END7 8. Sudan says seizes strategic city in Blue Nile, rebels deny Thu Sep 22, 2011 6:10am GMT CAIRO (Reuters) - Sudan government forces have seized control of a strategic city in Blue Nile state after fighting with rebels allied with South Sudan, a military spokesman said on Wednesday. A rebel spokesman denied the report and said the Dindiro area was still under the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) control. Sudanese army spokesman Colonel Al-Sawarmi Khalid said government forces "liberated" the city of Dindidiro, located some 100 km (65 miles) south of the state capital al-Damazin. "The army, a short while ago and after a fierce battle, managed to seize control of the city of Dindiro and liberate it from the SPLM forces in the Blue Nile state," Khalid saideuters. Analysts say the fighting with the rebels in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states fighting risks drawing the newly independent South Sudan into a proxy war. The Sudanese government has accused the south's dominant Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) of being behind the violence. The SPLM-North, the movement's branch in Sudan, has blamed Khartoum. Sudan and South Sudan signed a border security agreement on Sunday, making a step towards improving ties after tensions over border violence and sharing oil revenues. Khalid said the Sudanese army has seized five tanks and five other military vehicles in the battle. But an SPLM spokesman said the fighting has been taking place in a mountain region some 20 kms (12 miles) away from Dindiro. Dindiro, a rugged mountainous area, controls access to the al-Kurmuk, traditional stronghold for the SPLM and its military wing, the Sudan People's Liberation Army. http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE78L01L20110922 END8 9. Ethiopia’s Zenawi holds new talks with Bashir on Blue Nile and S. Kordofan crises September 16, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi met Friday for the second time with Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir in Khartoum to discuss a peaceful settlement to the armed conflict with the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N). Ethiopia, which has joint border with the Sudan and South Sudan follows closely the existing tensions Khartoum and Juba. But Addis Ababa becomes extremely concerned since the start of the recent clashes between the Sudanese army and the SPLM-N. in the neighboring Sudanese state of Blue Nile. The fragile political stability in the country and the war with Eritrea besides a troubled neighbouring Somalia, all these factors push Meles Zenawi to offer his mediation to end the new conflict in Blue Nile and South Kordofan. Before to leave Khartoum, Premier Minister Zenawi told reporters that he discussed with Bashir his recent initiative for a comprehensive peaceful settlement for Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan conflicts . He further said without elaborating that the solution lies in the framework of a united Sudan and one national army. Clashes between the Sudanese army and the SPLM-N started first in Southern Kordofan state in June as the rebels contested the election of the new governor in May. But the rejection of President Bashir of a framework agreement to resolve the South ern Kordofan issue in July led to the emergence of another conflict in the Blue Nile, the only state to be ruled by an opposition governor. Before to meet Zenawi, Bashir held talks with the head of the African panel for Sudan Thabo Mbeki who brokered 28 June framework deal rejected by the Sudanese president. Bashir refuses new negotiations with the SPLM-N under international sponsorship. He says the SPLM should be disarmed and hold direct talks with the government inside the country. While the rebel group insists on the foreign mediation and says a new security arrangements should be negotiated. The UN refugee agency (UNCR) said on Friday revised the estimated number of Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia saying they can be only 15000 persons. Initially the UN agency said 20000 Sudanese arrived in Ethiopia after the start of clashes there. On 15 September the UNHCR said some 2,700 refugees have been voluntarily moved to Sherkole camp in Benishangul Gumuz region of western Ethiopia. However most of the Sudanese “refugees still prefer to stay near the border in the hope that the situation will soon allow them to return", the UN agency said. (ST) END9 10. Sudan vows to continue military campaign in Blue Nile September 17, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government on Saturday said it is determined to crush the rebellion in the Blue Nile state, a day after Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi visited Khartoum in a fresh mediation push. Last month clashes broke out in the state which borders Ethiopia and South Sudan between Khartoum and units from Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA). Both sides traded blame over who started the fighting. Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir declared the state of emergency in the state and sacked its governor Malik Agar who won elections last year on the SPLM ticket. Agar, who is the chairman of SPLM-North, is currently leading SPLA units fighting Sudan Armed Forces (SAF). Bashir’s 1st Vice President Ali Osman Taha paid a visit to Blue Nile state capital of Damazin and affirmed the government’s desire to “cleanse” the country from those with hidden agendas and conspirators. Taha said that those who targeted stability in the Blue Nile through war could not change Sudan’s identity through peace. He said that the Sudanese people are all standing by the people of the Blue Nile until land is liberated and peace prevailed and development achieved. "This is the message that we came to convey to you" Taha said. The 1st VP said that Blue Nile would remain part of Sudan and threatened those who call for otherwise. "We will cut off every hand that wants to extract it from the entity of larger Sudan and it will remain part of Sudan’s Islamic affiliation with all its strength, vigorous discourse and history" the Sudanese official said. "We want this state to come out of this test and ordeal stronger, more cohesive and coherent” Taha added. The Ethiopian PM who met with Bashir on Friday has reportedly renewed his mediation efforts though little details emerged on his proposals. The London-based al-Hayat newspaper said that Bashir agreed in principle to recognizing SPLM-North as a political party and allow them to be represented on state and federal levels in return for being integrated into SAF and the police. Observers say that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) wants to eliminate the SPLM-N from the political arena. SPLM-N is also engaged in clashes with SAF in the oil-rich state of South Kordofan. Bashir has scrapped an agreement mediated by the African Union last June despite being signed by his powerful aide Nafie Ali Nafie. Blue Nile and South Kordofan are part of north Sudan but their population sided largely with the South during the second Sudanese civil war 1983-2005. Under the North-South peace accord, the two states were supposed to hold “popular consultations” to determine the level of local satisfaction with the implementation of the agreement. But the vote stalled in both states as efforts to reach a political settlement failed to yield results. (ST) END10 ______________________ John Ashworth Sudan Advisor [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. You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sudan-john-ashworth" group. 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