Sudan’s Bashir threatens to pursue rebels inside South Sudan territory
April 28, 2015 (NYALA) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir has threatened to pursue rebels inside South Sudan territory to disarm them.
On Sunday, the Sudanese government military spokesperson, al-Sawarmi Khaled, said they crushed JEM fighters at al-Nikhara area, south of the locality of Tulus in South Darfur and inflicted on them heavy losses in lives and equipment.
Khartoum further accused Juba of harbouring and supporting the rebel forces which for long time were based in South Kordofan in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) controlled areas.
Bashir, who addressed the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters in the Gouz Dango area in South Darfur Tuesday, warned South Sudan government against continuing support and harbour for the armed groups, demanding it to disarm them.
“Sudan remained patient towards the southerners and gave them an [independent] state but only received betrayal and conspiring in return,” he said.
“We will give them [South Sudan government] another chance to make the right decision and disarm the rebels or otherwise the RSF is ready to do the job,” Bashir added.
The Sudanese president underscored they reserve the right to defend themselves against any rebel or agents of foreign powers even inside Raja, Aweil or Juba, saying the RSF defeated the rebels in South Kordofan and forced them to retreat to South Sudan.
The Sudanese government security agencies released photos and videos of detained JEM fighters and the vehicles captured from the rebel groups following the South Darfur battles.
Al-Bashir said that the Westerners have tempted rebels to seize power in Khartoum and trained them for one and a half year, adding that the RSF defeated them in the battle of Dango in half an hour.
He described the JEM and the Sudan Liberation Movement Minni-Minnawi (SLM-MM) as “mercenaries, terrorists and outlaws,” saying that RSF has liberated Sudan of them.
He stressed the RSF defeated the rebels and did not let down the leadership in Khartoum, pointing they made the right decision when they formed it.
The RSF militia, which is widely known as the Janjaweed militias, were originally mobilized by the Sudanese government to quell the insurgency that broke out in Sudan’s western region of Darfur in 2003.
The militia was activated and restructured again in August 2013 under the command of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) to fight rebel groups in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states following joint attacks by Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebels in North and South Kordofan in April 2013.
NISS’s director, Mohamed Atta, for his part, said the RSF fulfilled their promise to defeat the JEM, pointing that rebels said they would sabotage elections and oilfields but failed to do so.
He noted that more than 1100 JEM fighters had entered the country from South Sudan, stressing that only 37 injured survived the clashes and returned.
“We dedicate this victory to the president of the republic [Bashir] on the day of his re-election for another term”. He said.
SRF commander, Mohamed Hamdan Duglo, said they seized 161 Land Cruiser vehicles and a large amount of heavy and light weaponry besides telecommunications equipments, stressing they captured 340 hostages including field commanders from JEM.
Duglo also said his fighters are still chasing the fleeing rebels, describing the leader of the SLM-MM as “cowered”.
SHUTTING DOWN BORDERS WITH SOUTH SUDAN
Meanwhile, Sudan’s defence minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein, who also addressed the RSF fighters, said the latter carried out the “Decisive Summer” campaign successfully and has not let down the leadership.
Hussein said in press statements on Monday that Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) had closed all border crossings with South Sudan in order to monitor moves of the rebels groups, accusing Juba of supporting rebels groups and offer them training through foreign experts and states hostile to Sudan.
He said the JEM fighters received extensive training in South Sudan for one year and a half year to destabilise security and sabotage elections. He emphasised that the recent battle against rebels was decisive and led to destruction of the JEM forces.
The defence minister pointed out that they achieved a sweeping victory against JEM in al-Nikhara battles, saying that SAF is ready to protect the country against any aggressors.
Khartoum and Juba regularly trade accusations of support to rebel groups from both sides.
To settle this issue, the two countries committed themselves in the Cooperation Agreement of 27 September 2012 to stop supporting or harbouring rebel groups, and agreed to establish a buffer zone on the border and to form a joint monitoring team to prevent rebel infiltration.
However, the agreement was not implemented as Juba fears that the establishment of a Safe Demilitarized Border Zone (SDBZ) may irritate the Dinka Malual who believe that the deal leads to concede the disputed 14-Mile Area to Sudan.
(ST)