Sudan rebels to respect UN request for calm

KHARTOUM, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Armed rebel groups throughout Sudan said on Wednesday they would respect a call by the United Nations for no military action during a countrywide polio vaccination campaign.

An African Union ceasefire monitor leaves a meeting with Sudan Liberation Army rebels in the desert west of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, November 8, 2004. (Reuters).

The World Health Organisation says Sudan had the third highest rate of polio cases in the world, behind Nigeria and India, despite Africa’s largest nation being declared polio-free in April 2001. It says more than 100 cases were confirmed last year.

The top U.N. envoy in Sudan, Jan Pronk, has asked for “days of tranquillity” during the first round of the campaign between January 10 and 12.

Sudan’s western Darfur region saw fierce fighting at the end of 2004, with five aid workers losing their lives.

The two main Darfur rebel groups, who have held peace talks with the government in Nigeria, said they would respect the request.

Abakr Muhamed Abul Basha, a member of the Sudan Liberation Army’s (SLA’s) senior negotiating team, told Reuters the movement respected a shaky ceasefire signed in April, but had only responded to government attacks.

“We are respecting this call and we will respond to that positively,” he said, adding that orders would be sent to all commanders on the ground to refrain from military action en masse during this period.

“But if an individual is there and somebody is firing on him … he will respond in order to defend himself,” he added.

The other main rebel group, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), said it had not yet received any notification from the United Nations, but would respect the request.

“We are implementing the ceasefire and we are also ready to do everything for the people of Darfur,” said Tajeddin Bashir Nyam of JEM. “If we receive any document we are ready to respond positively,” he said.

A third JEM splinter group, the National Movement for Reform and Development (NMRD), said it would respect the request, but would retaliate if the government attacked.

The NMRD recently held separate talks with the government in Chad and agreed to respect a shaky April ceasefire and humanitarian and security protocols signed between the government and the other two armed movements last year.

“We will not make any military operations against anyone unless anyone attacks us. If they do we are ready to reply to this,” said NMRD secretary al-Sadiq Nyam.

Pronk also said he had asked the main rebel movement in Sudan’s south to respect the agreement. The south has been embroiled in more than two decades of a separate and bloodier civil war.

The southern rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) signed a permanent ceasefire and two final protocols on Dec. 31, paving the way for a final peace agreement to be signed on Jan. 9. The group said the request was irrelevant to them as there was no longer any fighting.

Government officials were not immediately available to comment on the request, but Pronk said he had written to both the interior and defence ministers to ask them the same.