---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Ashworth <[email protected]> Date: Mon, Oct 10, 2011 at 10:55 AM Subject: [sudan-john-ashworth] Malik urges Khartoum to stop bombing its own civilians To: Group <[email protected]>
1. Sudan rebel chief urges govt to stop bombing civilians Sun Oct 9, 2011 8:23pm GMT * Government denies any bombardment of civilians * Agar was sacked by Sudan government as Blue Nile governor * Fighting erupted in Blue Nile, South Kordofan states By Hereward Holland NEAR KURMUK, Sudan, Oct 9 (Reuters) - A Sudanese rebel leader has called for the government to stop bombing its own citizens, create humanitarian corridors and provide safe zones for civilians in two turbulent border territories. Malik Agar, chairman of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army-North (SPLM/A-N), said aerial bombardment by the government had killed 74 civilians and wounded more than 100 in Blue Nile state in southeast Sudan since clashes began on Sept. 2. The Sudanese government dismissed Agar's account. It has blamed rebels for causing hardship for citizens in border areas like Blue Nile and insists it is protecting its people. Fighting also erupted in June in the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan, another state that like Blue Nile borders newly independent South Sudan. Aid agencies have been unable to operate in either region since the conflicts began. "There are basic things that we are asking for: one is for pressure to be exerted on Khartoum to stop the bombing of the civilians," Agar told reporters at his temporary command headquarters in a rebel-held area of Blue Nile. Agar, the elected SPLM governor of the state, was sacked after the fighting erupted and a military ruler was appointed. The SPLM in the north was also shut down. The SPLM is South Sudan's ruling party and has an offshoot in Sudan. "We are asking and demanding that they open corridors and safe areas for the humanitarian operations," he said, speaking on Thursday during a trip for reporters arranged by rebels based in South Sudan. Agar, speaking near Kurmuk which is about 160 km (100 miles) from Blue Nile's capital Damazin, said as many as 500,000 people may have fled villages to the bush and would soon run out of food. That number could not be verified. The United Nations Refugee Committee says over 27,500 people have fled Blue Nile to Ethiopia in the last month. Information Ministry spokesman Rabie Abdelaty told Reuters by telephone that 95 percent of civilians living in Blue Nile were safe and the government was providing assistance. CALLING FOR THE U.N. Reuters spoke to several families during the trip who said they had abandoned their villages to avoid bombardment by Sudanese government planes. They were living rough under trees and gathering food in the wild to survive. Abdelaty dismissed the accounts, saying they were made by Agar's supporters. Agar said President Omar Hassan al Bashir, who is accused of war crimes in Darfur in west Sudan, was using food as a weapon and said the "catastrophic" humanitarian situation needed swift intervention by the United Nations. "There are no safe havens for them because the main problem for them is Soviet-made high-altitude bombers. You just witnessed two of them hovering over us. The bombs were dropped on a village, not near any military installation," he said. This correspondent saw planes circle the area and drop bombs about a kilometre (mile) away. It was not immediately possible to determine the type of planes involved. Abdelaty said the government was not involved in bombarding civilian areas and said any demand for international humanitarian assistance could only come from Sudan's government. Khartoum has denied it has used food as a weapon. Agar urged the international community to push Bashir to negotiations saying "wars end on tables." He said fresh talks must be mediated by a third party, a move Bashir has ruled out. Agar's forces fought alongside southern rebels during a brutal 22-year civil war that ended in a 2005 peace deal that paved the way to southern independence on July 9 this year. "I was an elected governor who was removed unconstitutionally, and our party was a party that ran elections with a considerable number of MPs, 128 of them are all in prisons," Agar said, wearing in military fatigues. Both sides gave conflicting accounts of how much land they controlled. Agar claimed his forces controlled around 80 percent of land in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. Abdelaty said government forces control 95 percent of the land in Blue Nile. The SPLM-N is forging closer alliances with insurgents in the troubled Darfur region and in the east, with the intention of launching a coordinated attack on Khartoum, he said. "We had a discussion with them of how to coordinate our forces and how to coordinate our military operations on the ground," he said. "I am interested in taking Khartoum." (Editing by Edmund Blair and Maria Golovnina) http://af.reuters.com/article/sudanNews/idAFL5E7L90NQ20111009?sp=true END1 2. UN opens camp for Blue Nile’s refugees in Ethiopia October 8, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The United Nations (UN) has opened a camp in western Ethiopia to accommodate Sudanese refugees fleeing violence in the border region of Blue Nile. More than 27,500 Sudanese refugees from Blue Nile have crossed the borders into neighboring Ethiopia since their state plunged into violent clashes on 1 September between Sudan’s army (SAF) and rebels of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N), according to UN figures. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has announced it opened a refugee camp on Wednesday in Ethiopia’s western town of Tongo to provide shelter for Sudanese seekers of refuge from the war in Blue Nile. Adrian Edwards, UNHCR spokesperson, said in a press briefing on Friday in Geneva that the new camp is located 200 km southeast of the main border entry point for refugees at Blue Nile’s border town of Al-Kurmuk, which is the stronghold of the SPLM-N rebels. “With refugees still arriving, UNHCR is working with the Ethiopian government and the International Organization for Migration to speed the moving of refugees to safer locations,” he said. The UNHCR spokesman noted that at the beginning of the influx, the arrivals were mainly women, children and elderly “generally in good health.” He however stated that recently the arrivals included men and injured individuals. “We had recent cases involving a young man who had sustained bullet wounds, and a woman injured by shrapnel. Another man had lost his legs in a bomb explosion. All three were taken to the UNHCR health center in Sherkole camp for treatment,” he pointed out. Edwards revealed that the UNHCR plans to move around 400 refugees daily from the border to Tongo, where shelter, water, food and sanitation are provided. He further pointed out that the other main camp in the area at Sherkole reached its full capacity of 8,702 people on Tuesday. (ST) END2 3. Sudan: SPLM-N Claims Gunning Down 30 Sudanese Soldiers 9 October 2011 allAfrica.com Khor Adrak — The Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) claimed to have gunned down 30 government soldiers in an ambush in Khor Adrak in Blue Nile state on Saturday. Arno Nuguthulu, spokesperson of the SPLM-N, told Radio Dabanga that the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), the armed wing of the SPLM-N, also managed to destroy three army vehicles and capture another one. Arno Nuguthulu said, "The SPLA is now in control of all areas of operations in Blue Nile state and South Kordofan. We have now defeated the government troops in Talodi, Rashad and Damazin." The fighting in areas of Blue Nile state broke out on September 1 when Sudanese armed forces clashed with the SPLA. Arno Nuguthulu added that government forces had killed eight citizens in Blue Nile state's Corey area by opening fire at them. "The civilians who were dragged outside the village and shot by government forces have nothing to do with the SPLM-N," Nuguthulu added. http://allafrica.com/stories/201110090196.html END3 4. South Sudan will not extradite Arman to Khartoum, says minister October 9, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — A Southern Sudanese minister said Juba will not deliver the secretary general of the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), Yasir Arman, to Khartoum where he is wanted for "sedition and rebellious activities". The SPLM-N is fighting against the government forces in the Blue Nile since September and since June in Southern Kordofan where it contested the results of May elections held in implementation of 2005 peace agreement. The opposition party also said opposed to disarm its fighters and asked to negotiate a new security arrangements deal. South Sudan minister of cabinet affairs Deng Alor said the SPLM government in Juba will not hand over Yasir Arman to Khartoum for his call to overthrow the government of the National Congress Party (NCP) Alor, who accompanied Salva Kiir during his two days visit to the Sudanese capital, however told the pro-government daily Akhir Lahza that the SPLM and its government will not provide any support to its former members in their war against Khartoum. Arman has called recently for a large alliance of rebel movements and opposition parties to topple down the regime of President Omer Hassan al-Bashir. He also toured Western capitals denouncing atrocities perpetrated against civilians in Blue Nile and South Kordofan appealing for an international investigation for crime against humanity and crimes of war. In a speech delivered before a joint meeting of the Sudanese and south Sudanese delegations in Khartoum on Saturday, Bashir blamed Juba for harboring SPLM-N leaders who carry out hostile activities against Khartoum. Yesterday the leader of the ultra-nationalist party Just Peace Forum (JPF), Al-Tayeb Mustafa, lodged a complaint against Arman for undermining the constitutional order, dealing with an enemy country and dissemination of false news. (ST) END4 ______________________ 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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