Northern troops in South Sudan are “occupation forces” – SPLA
August 6, 2007 (JUBA, Sudan) — A South Sudanese army official said on Monday that North Sudanese troops still in the south’s vital oil areas were now “occupation forces” since they had not left the region as agreed under a 2005 peace deal.
He said his own southern forces had almost finished withdrawing from areas they had to leave under the accord.
The January 2005 deal created separate north and south armies, joint units for main towns and the sensitive oil areas and required both armies to redeploy either side of the 1956 north-south border by July 9, 2007.
But the northern Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) missed the redeployment deadline, and a senior U.N. official said most of the forces still in the south remained in the oil fields, where Sudan pumps some 500,000 barrels per day of crude.
Kuol Diem Kuol, spokesman for the southern Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), said:
“We are not happy. The SPLA is waiting for the orders from the southern Sudan security council on how to handle this issue of occupation forces.”
Kuol said some 16,600 northern troops remained in the south’s two largest oil-producing states and the still contested oil-rich Abyei area, which under the deal can choose whether to join the south or stay in the north by 2011.
“(They) are staying illegally in a territory that they’re not supposed to be in,” said Kuol.
The SPLA also missed the deadline to withdraw from two transitional areas, Southern Blue Nile and South Kordofan. The SPLA had said that was because the joint units, supposed to take over after their withdrawal, were not yet functioning.
But Kuol on Monday said that the SPLA were moving out of the two areas as per the peace deal.
“All the SPLA soldiers have withdrawn out of Blue Nile, except for a company of 120 soldiers,” said Kuol.
He explained these soldiers were guarding tanks, anti-aircraft weapons and heavy artillery that cannot be transported into south Sudan because of heavy rains.
“Once it is dry we will move them into the south,” said Kuol.
Similarly all of the SPLA’s troops are currently moving out of South Kordofan State said Kuol, with less than 300 remaining to guard heavy artillery.
The two areas were now under the control of the joint north-south units, known as Joint Integrated Units (JIUs) but Kuol said there were some concerns that they were not yet able to deal with an uneasy security situation in South Kordofan.
“The militias are still active … are not yet disarmed,. The whole population is not yet disarmed,” said Kuol. “(It is) very dangerous”.
“They are not trained together, they are not the JIU envisaged by the peace agreement,” said Kuol about the units.
Last year 150 people were killed during clashes between the north and south armies in the southern town of Malakal, fighting sparked by northern-aligned militias.
The discovery of oil in south Sudan during the years of war further inflamed the conflict in which 2 million people died and some 4 million were displaced.
(Reuters)
James James
Northern troops in South Sudan are “occupation forces” – SPLA
What Mr. Kuol Dim said is only the crystal truth,beacuse the behaviors of Khartoum government make me normally sick to my stomach.
I don’t understand what kind of devilic government is that’ that do’t want to see its citizens in peace. what do the NIF want, war or just human blood? if so, to do what with it?
Though Bashir may not read english that good,I think CPA article has some copies in arabic, why he cann’t just revise that everyday before his lunch. If not can someone with holy spirit show him his signiture if that may remind him of February 9-2004.
Bashir, dragging feet for a doom political compaign may not work, so please and please Mr Bashir change your attitude and remove your lawless troops from our territories.
the Writer is Peter Guzulu.
Gatluak Latjor
Northern troops in South Sudan are “occupation forces” – SPLA
Rightly ,what Kuol Dim said on the present status of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), now still in the southern Sudan soil, particularly in the oil producing states, is what is much expected by the southern sudanese from their army.The current presence of the (SAF)in the south is a clear violation of CPA and as such make them occupational forces and thievews having oil companies . The South Sudan Army (SSA)should tell this foriegn army (SAF)where it belongs by bullets,it should not be treated like child. The people of south sudan are tired of seeing these strangers.
Gatluak Latjor.
Unity State.