Sudan army, SPLA trade accusations over troops redeployment
July 18, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan armed forces (SAF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army have traded accusations over the delay of troops redeployment of respective troops to northern and southern Sudan, the UNMIS said in a press briefing today.
The Sudanese army and the SPLA traded accusations over the redeployment of troops from the Upper Nile, the areas that produce Sudan’s vital 500,000 barrels per day of crude oil. The two parties agreed to submit the divergence to the Ceasefire Political Commission (CPC).
In a meeting held on Tuesday July 17 in Juba, the Ceasefire Joint Military Committee (CJMC) noted with concern that SAF has not fully redeployed by 9 July 2007 and continues to maintain approximately 3,600 troops in Upper Nile State, in violation of the CPA.
Under the peace deal, only the joint units should police the oil areas.
The SPLA contested the argument promoted by the SAF that since the Joint Integrated Units (JIUs) have not yet deployed to protect oilfields areas, there is a requirement to maintain troops there to guarantee security. While the SAF stated that the SPLA is still maintaining a large presence in the areas of oil fields and has not redeployed to the designated Assembly areas.
A U.N. statement on July 8, signed by both the northern Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the southern Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), said 66.5 percent of the original 46,403 northern troops in south Sudan had moved north. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) called for a full redeployment by July 9.
The SPLA considered non-completion of SAF redeployment a significant violation of the CPA and requested immediate redeployment of remaining SAF troops.
The SPLA in turn observed that the security of oil installations has not been handed over to the JIUs despite the fact that JIUs are located in these Areas.
The SPLA also noted that the status of SAF voluntarily demobilized soldiers remains contested and that the CPC is yet to take a decision on this matter.
The head of the U.N. mission in south Sudan, Peter Schumann, told Reuters last week that the militias ” continue to receive payments from SAF so the question is to what extent they remain part of SAF or not,” he said.
In light of the parties diverging stances on redeployment, the CJMC decided to refer the matter to the CPC for immediate resolution, given the gravity of the potential consequences on the timetable of the peace process. The CPC, which was to meet on 17 or 18 July, has again rescheduled its meeting which will now take place next week.
The SPLA has informed the United Nations that they have started re-deploying from the Nuba Moutains and the Bule Nile but UNMIS has yet to verify these movements.
In July 8 meeting, the United Nations said that the SPLA had not withdrawn troops from the central areas of Southern Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains.
(ST)
James James
Increase tribal fights in Jongolei and Upper Nile
Apart from the rocky movement of CPA pose by prominent obstacles like corruption and many NCP violations in some article,a tribal fighting among cattle keepers in Jongolei and Upper Nile States is also shadowing and tainting easy implementation of peace progress in Southern Sudan, despite a massive disarment compaign carried out early this Year, there are more fightings going on.
Because according to one SPLA officer base in Gumuru,Pibor county, a group of youth made up of 13 to 15 people,well armed & believe to be from Dinka Bor tribe across into the neighboring Murle in July 3rd and attack the village killing 2 herdmen before they made away with 246 cows.Base on the report, on their arrival,a red chief of Anyadi village in Bor,did not welcome the move, in fear of future retaliatory attack by Murle to his village, so he made an effort, and manage to collect about 194 cows and ordered the culprits to be arrested, meanwhile, the such is still continuous to recover the rest of the cattle still at large.And in very Surprising twist,among the suspect who are in custody, some were identified as policemen,prison guards and few civilians.
Bor had been very critical about Murle in the past accusing them of being the worst cattle raiders and violators of peace in the region at the same time. But since the beginning of this Year,Bor had involved in number of counts including raidings,shoting spree and vehicle hijacks among other crimes.
Murle, also known as fierce tribe in south Sudan had undergone heavy disarment sweep-out early this Year which had resulted into huge collection of different units of rifles across their land. according to the analyst, that made them too volunarable to other adjacent communities in reflection of the past raiding memories, and in fact, build other tribes’muscles to raid them easily.
In separat incident,on July 15, there were 2 consecutive counter attacks against Murle cattle camps far North West side of the Pibor county, where unspecified number of cattle were taken with also some death, this time , the finger is strongly pointed to Lou Nuer south of Upper Nile.
Surrounding all these circumstances, the thorny and burning questions like, A) if the well funded disarment task, was actually conducted faithfully and very fairly as it has been stated on the media and websites several times to every tribes, then where Bor and Nuer still get these weapons from? actually the one they used against Murle. B) why GOSS is silent? these questions plus others still remain blank.
Though we don’t have very satisfactory answers or feedbacks for thess questions, Yet we better suggest that, the government of Southern sudan need to take urgent measures to cope and tranquil those chaos before they get out of hand.
God bless southern Sudan.
The writer is Sudanes student in North America.
Mark Omina
The Sudan Armed Forces are not committed to Peace
The inception of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army/Movement SPLA/M in 1983 was remarkably to bring correctional measures to the regimes that had ruled Sudan un democratically for decades. Hence the Machakos and Naivasha agreements have been a manna to all South Sudanese where memorundams were signed between SPLA and the northern partners ending the more than 20 years bloody shade.
The 2005 comprehensive Peace Agreement CPA signed in the Kenyan capital Nairobi had stipulated clearly that all parties should adhere to the protocols signed by both SPLA/SPLM and SAF including the withdrawal of Armed Forces from territories formerly controlled by either SAF or SPLA during the time of enemity. Note a length of time of two and ahalf years was agreed for all the SAF forces to withdraw from the South, but since then the deadline was never met for reasons not known but those who made it should be held responsible.
The weather issue should not be an escape goat for the norhtern partners to retain their Armed forces in South Sudan, how many dry seasons have past but yet their was tactical slow movement of the so called heavy machineries north word by the SAF. The fact is that the northern partners are looking for loopholes to triger another bloodshade in the South to abrogate the CPA singed in 2005.
Jakok Loakloak
Sudan army, SPLA trade accusations over troops redeployment
This redeployment saga is nothing but diversion from the would-be battle front of tomorrow between the SAF and the SPLA. I believe Northern Sudan Army with their current war machines build-up is not in dire need of operational pockets in the South. They have enough logistical equipment for fast deployments to any theater within the country at a moment notice. The only thing SAF needs is time. For as long as SPLA is bussy with relocation and redeployment, North will continue to refine their Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs) in hope of ensuring a quick victory over their rivals in the Oil fields ahead of future international border arbiteration. SPLA should not give in to cheap shots from NCP. Much attention is needed now more than ever in the case of Militias they are currently arming. They may not be an immediate or emminent danger now but a posible pain in the heel of our galant forces in the near future.