Sudan denies reports on plan to launch war in south

CAIRO, Nov 2, 2004 (MENA) — Minister of Federal Government Nafi Ali Nafi on Tuesday discredited reports claiming that the Sudanese army is bracing itself to launch an offensive targeting rebels in southern Sudan.

SPLA soldiers train at military headquarters.

In statements to MENA, he said the Sudanese government has a firm stand in its way of handling the problem of the south.

“Our fixed stand is to seek peace and not stage wars”, he said. As far as the south is concerned, it is impossible for the government to launch a war there because first it respects its ceasefire agreement with the southern brothers, and second because the dialogue and negotiations it is having with the southern Sudanese rebel leaders and the growing hopes of being just a few weeks’ close to clinching a final peace settlement in the south makes any thought of a war completely illogical, he said.

Fighting that has been raging between the government of Sudan and the southern rebel group SPLA for nearly two decades has claimed the lives of thousands of Sudanese people. According to estimates, around four million people have also been displaced by the conflict.

Peace talks between Khartoum and the southern rebels have been taking place in neighbouring Kenya since 2002, and hopes are that a final peace settlement could be well in hand at the coming round of peace talks that are to start there later this month.