Sudan’s defense minister reports northward movement of southern army
February 9, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese minister of defense, Gen Abdul Rahim Mohamed Hussien, has said he presented the country’s president, Omer Al-Bashir, with a report warning of movement by the army of neighboring South Sudan towards the north.
The minister explained that the report states that the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) of South Sudan had been on the move for over a week at “more than three points” towards the borders with Sudan.
Sudan and South Sudan ended nearly half a century of intermittent civil wars with a 2005 peace deal that paved the way for South Sudan’s independence. However, talk of a return to war has increased dramatically in recent weeks amid a bitter dispute over transporting South Sudan’s oil via Sudan and continued failure to resolve it.
“We have been monitoring the SPLA’s movement for over a week” Hussein said, adding that Sudan should “expect anything from these people even if they are not prepared for it.”
Hussien told the paper that his report also included Sudan’s options when dealing with such eventuality.
Sudan’s President Omer Al-Bashir warned in an interview last week that the climate between the two countries is closer to war than peace.
Sources disclosed to Sudan Tribune this month that a group of 700 officers from Sudan’s army (SAF) submitted a memo to Al-Bashir and Hussien warning them against the rush to war with South Sudan after the pair raised the possibility during a military meeting.
Khartoum accuses South Sudan of supporting rebel groups who previously fought as part of the SPLA in Sudan’s border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile. South Sudan denies the charge and accuses Sudan of supporting rebel groups on its territories.
(ST)