Sudan says that it repelled rebel attack, accuses South Sudan of involvement

March 21, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The director of Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) Mohamed Atta al-Moula Abbas revealed that the army along with reserve forces and NISS operatives repelled an attack this morning on the oil-rich town of Heglig.

Al-Moula said the attack was led by rebels based in the newly independent state of South Sudan adding that half the force came from Juba’s official army known as Sudan people Liberation Army (SPLA).

The Sudanese government has been battling rebels from the Sudan people Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) in the border states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan. The rebel group fought alongside the SPLA during the civil war years which ended in 2005 and allowed southerners six years later to gain their independence.

Juba, ruled by the SPLM, insists that it has severed organizational ties with SPLM-N since the partition of Sudan. But Khartoum nonetheless filed several complaints with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) protesting what it says is Juba’s continuous support to rebels fighting to overthrow the regime.

Furthermore, Sudan says that the south was the driving force behind the creation of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) which consists of SPLM-N and three main Darfur rebel groups.

Sudan’s spy chief said that the government will not relent in swiftly combating rebellions and anyone threatening the country’s national security.

Today’s allegations will may overshadow the upcoming talks scheduled for early April between Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir and his southern counterpart Salva Kiir. The two leaders are supposed to sign two framework deals on nationality and borders.

Sudanese officials warned that all deals are off if further attacks on its territory come from the south.

A spokesman for the SPLM-N, Arnu Lodi, told Reuters that he had not heard of any attack on Heglig.

“I think this is part of a media campaign that lacks any basis in truth,” Lodi said.

“The point of this kind of talk is to win the support of citizens in Sudan in an attempt to pressure South Sudan’s government during the negotiations” he added.

South Sudan’s armed forces spokesman Philip Aguer also told Reuters the accusation was false.

“It is Sudan who has been moving forces, they are coming out of their bases,” Aguer said.

“We have been expecting an attack on Jau for the last three days,” he added. “Maybe they attacked our forces and wanted to cover up. Tomorrow we will know what is happening.”

The two neighbors remain locked in disputes over issues including the position of their border, control of the disputed Abyei territory, and what transit fees South Sudan pays its northern neighbor to export oil from Port Sudan.

Tensions have been further exacerbated since South Sudan shut down all its oil fields in January in protest of Khartoum’s seizure of crude it said was to make up for unpaid fees.

(ST)