Sudan declares emergency in the East, accuses Eritrea of spreading troubles
KASSALA, July 22, 2004 (Sudan Tribune) — Kassala State in Eastern Sudan declared a state of emergency throughout the state in anticipation of an attack which might be carried out by an armed opposition group from the territory of neighbouring Eritrea.
Such military activities will increase the difficulties already facing the government in Darfur, Western Sudan, the Ashariqa -UAE- based newspaper Al Khaleej reported yesterday.
The state’s governor, Faruq Hassan Nour, described the expected attack as an Eritrean plan to spread violence and instability in the country. He stressed that Eritrea is giving support to armed Sudanese factions and denied that the Sudanese government is backing groups opposed to the Eritrean regime.
He accused Eritrea of being behind the agreement signed last week between the Free Lions Movement (FLM), and the Sudan Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). The FLM is based in Eastern Sudan most of its members belong to Beja tribes, the JEM is one of two acting rebel movements in Western Sudan.
This agreement was signed in Asmara on Thursday July 15, by Khalil Ibrahim for the JEM and Mabrook Mubark Salim for the FLM.
Nour said “intelligence we have indicate that Eritrean government backing rebels factions from Eastern and Western Sudan and training them to spread chaos in the Eastern Sudan as it is in the West”.
He explained this by the will of Eritrea to but pressures on the Sudanese government and to show its capacity to have an effect on the political situation inside the Sudan.
On the other hand, one of the internal Beja Congress party leaders Osman Fargaye has warned of an escalation of military activity in the East. He invited the government to grant the political and development demands made recently by the Beja.
The demands were made in a document known as the Eastern Sudan Historic Covenant elaborated last May in Cairo by Beja leaders from inside and outside the country. It threatens an escalation of military activities in the east of the country, which could prove more dangerous than the events taking place in Darfur, bearing in mind that the Eastern region represents the country’s only gateway to the outside world, i.e. Port Sudan.