North Sudanese army warns against breach of recent deal on Abyei

May 18, 2008 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) warned the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) against the non-implementation of an agreement signed this week in Abyei stipulating the withdrawal of SPLA south to the river.

In a statement issued today the northern Sudanese army accused the SPLM representative in Abyei of saying he would not implement a deal reached this week where it is agreed to redeploy SPLA force from Abyei.

UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Sudan, Ashraf Qazi, last Thursday welcomed a UNMIS sponsored agreement on halting clashes in Abyei. He urged the parties to implement an immediate ceasefire and the removal of other armed groups from Abyei, which lies on the border between northern and southern Sudan.

“The armed forces will not stand idle over this deteriorating situation and that it will come out with a decisive action if Edward Lino and those who supporting him will not heed to the recent decisions of Abyei meeting.” SAF statement said.

According to the signed deal the SPLA troops should be pulled out to their previous position south of the river, while the SAF troops have to remain confined to their barracks inside Abyei and they should not be deployed outside the camps of the infantry Brigade 31.

The join integrated units should take over and secure all the points north of Abyei, the accord provided.

The oil-rich area of Abyei, which is near the border between north and south Sudan, has been one of the main stumbling blocks to the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

In accordance with the CPA, a SAF-SPLA battalion has to be formed in the town of Abyei assigned to protect the area. But the SPLA redeployed 3000 force withdrawn from the Eastern Sudan in Akec and Majock around Abyei, this move pushed SAF to maintain the Infantry Brigade 31 in the area.

Administratively, the area is considered as part of south Kordofan State, the SAF statement. It also stated that till the demarcation of north south border the SPLA has not to deploy as police forces, only the south Kordofan police has the authority in the disputed area.

Although, the northern Sudan army blamed Edward Lino for deploying the SPLA police in the area, “a matter that caused the recent events” it said. The SAF also said that Lino deployed an infantry battalion of the SPLA for his security.

Further the SAF denied SPLM representative accusations that it has shelled Abyei town for six hours and burnt its market. In addition it accused the SPLA of besieging the infantry brigade located in the centre town near the market, saying it is the SPLA which attacked the town.

SAF also warned of the SPLA military build-up in the area saying it withdrawn its troops for the JIU’s. Further the statement added that the SPLM is now strengthening its forces in the
area of the bridge and south of the river with heavy weapons and tanks.

The armed forces say SPLA has moved, all the southern tribal groups southwards in the direction of Bahar al Arab.

The Abyei protocol is part of the Naivasha agreement that ended two decades of the civil war between the North and the South.

Under the protocol a commission known as the Abyei Boundaries Commission (ABC) was to “define and demarcate the area of the nine Ngok Dinka Chiefdoms transferred to Kordofan in 1905, referred to herein as Abyei Area”.

However the president Omar Hassan Al-Bashir said that the NCP is committed to the Abyei Protocol only with the border of 1905. He further said the government is not concerned with the ABC report and that the latter is of no value to them.

The SPLM chairman Salva Kiir on his end insisted that the Abyei Protocol is binding to the NCP.

(ST)