Governors’ Forum calls to stop aggression against South Sudan

November 19, 2011 (JUBA) – The five-day Governors’ Forum ended on Friday with one of its resolutions strongly calling on the Sudanese government to stop the aggression against the people of South Sudan along the border areas.

There have been reported repeated bombing and ground attacks against civilian populations in areas of Upper Nile and Unity states of South Sudan by the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and South Sudanese rebels for the last two weeks.

The Forum also called on the international community to intervene in order to “enforce” peace between the once one, but now two independent neighboring countries.

Also among the potential source of conflict is the lack of demarcation of the more than 2,000 kilometers long borderline between the Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan.

The spokesman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), Col. Philip Aguer, announced over the media on Friday that on the same day the government of Sudan had resumed bombings in Upper Nile state as well as carrying out ground attacks.

He said SAF warplanes had been hovering over the state capital of Upper Nile, Malakal, and carrying out bombings in areas at the border.

He however said the SPLA would not fold its hands while watching its people being massacred in South Sudan’s territory by SAF and that it was deploying forces to defend the civil population at the border areas.

(ST)