Sudan army blast statements by UNMIS spokeswoman over troops redeployment
By Wasil Ali
July 20, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese army issued a statement yesterday condemning statements on troops redeployment made by the spokesperson for the UN mission in Sudan (UNMIS).
Achouri said that Sudan’s army “has not fully redeployed by 9 July 2007 and continues to maintain approximately 3,600 troops in Upper Nile State, in violation of the CPA”.
The Spokesperson for the Sudanese army Lt. Col Osman Al-Agbash angrily responded saying that Achouri turned a blind eye to the fact that SPLA has only completed of 7.9% of their redeployment per the CPA.
Al-Agbash stressed that the Sudanese army will not redeploy troops from oil rich areas until the SPLA does the same.
The CPA dictates that oil rich areas are to be patrolled by joint troops from the Sudanese army and the SPLA.
In a meeting of Ceasefire Joint Military Committee (CJMC) held on Tuesday July 17 in Juba, the Sudanese army and the SPLA traded accusations over the redeployment of troops from the Upper Nile, the areas that produce Sudan’s vital 500,000 barrels per day of crude oil.
The two parties agreed to submit the divergence to the Ceasefire Political Commission (CPC).
This is the second time this year Achouri comes under fire for statements made by her during the weekly press briefings.
Last May the Sudanese justice Minister Mohamed Ali Al-Mardi warned Achouri not to go down the same road of the expelled UN Special Representative to Sudan Jan Pronk.
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Mabior wende Makuek
Sudan army blast statements by UNMIS spokeswoman over troops redeployment
“The redeployment in question”: My question on this vital issue is, who pulls out from whose area, from where and when?
UNMIS is an international body entrusted with its mandate to tell the International community of what they are seeing and not just saying it.
GONU must bear in mind that International Community can excommunicate Sudan from its forums and all other things share internationally. Who will be a loser?
It’s not news that Khartoum backpedals all the agreements it signs with anybody, be it natiaonally or internationally!
So, I beg the two sides for a conducive debate on this redeployment!
UNMIS is here to telling the truth and not to lie in favour of anyone! UNMIS reported last week that SPLA has not pulled out from Nubia Mountains and Southern Blue Nile, which they did later on promptly as per the CPA and not anything else, and they did not threaten UNMIS personnel to be expelled, or can SPLA not expel anyone that goes against them or their interests!?
Erin James
Sudan army blast statements by UNMIS spokeswoman over troops redeployment
Part of what is going on here may be that UNMIS sees past the ruse the government is using to hide its non re-deployment.
UNMIS seems to recognize how the Government continues to maintain militias in the area, some even under the guise of the JIUs. Many that they are keeping in the area should have been moved north as most of these militias have commanders who are commissioned officers in the Sudanese Army.
This is on top of the intelligence and other northern contingents who are also frequenting the area and in not too clandestine a manner either. Everyone who goes through the area notices it and its incumbent upon the UN to comment on this as it is a major breach of the CPA.
I sometimes wonder who the government thinks they are fooling but then they seem to be successful in keeping everyone off balance with their games; they are sadly good at fooling many.