Sudan SPLM accuses certain parties of igniting clashes on north-south border
December 30, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan’s former southern rebels accused certain parties of standing behind some of the worst clashes on north-south border region over the last week.
“We have information on their identities but we are exercising prudence before publishing it so that it doesn’t jeopardize any future investigations” said Pagan Amum Secretary-General of the Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) during a press conference.
SPLA and nomadic Misseriya tribe on Saturday confirmed reports about renewed fighting in South Kordofan and Northern Bahr Al-Ghazal. Misseriya tribal leaders said the fighting started when southern forces began bombarding them.
However, the SPLM accused their northern partner of attacking them for the second time in a week in clashes which claimed dozens of people.
Amum said that SPLM chairman Salva Kiir instructed their units not to attack the Misseriya tribe or any other tribes in the area.
“Kiir ordered the government of Southern Sudan to facilitate the movement of the nomadic Arab tribes in the south and promote peaceful coexistence in the border region” he added.
The clashes come after the SPLM ended their boycott of the national government. SPLM ministers walked out of the cabinet in October in protest of what it said was Khartoum’s foot-dragging in implementing key points of the peace deal.
However no agreement was reached between the National Congress Party (NCP) on the oil rich region of Abyei on the North-South borders. The Misseriya tribe has a substantial presence in the disputed region.
The SPLM official called on the Misseriya tribe “not to be used as a fuel in the clashes”. He added that his party held meetings with the NCP figures to contain the violence and carry out investigation on the responsible party.
Yasir Arman, deputy SPLM secretary general warned against any attempts to “damage our relationship with the Misseriya tribe”.
A 2005 peace deal ended Africa’s longest civil war in Sudan’s south but the road of peace has been rocky with both sides accusing the other of violations and slow implementation of the accord which enshrines democratic transformation, power and wealth-sharing and a southern vote on independence by 2011.
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Sudan SPLM accuse certain parties of igniting clashes on north-south border
The SPLM warned against escalating the conflict in north Bahr Elghazal and south Kurdufan areas.
It strongly rejected referring to the conflict as a war between the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and Al-Miseirya tribe.
The SPLM Deputy Secretary General, Yassir Arman, said in a press conference on Sunday in Khartoum, that these clashes will affect the recent agreement that put an end to the crisis between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).