Sudan proposes AU monitors on borders with south as battles continue
April 1, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The military tensions on the borders of Sudan and South Sudan were clearly reflected in a failed attempt made on Sunday in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to bring delegations from the two countries to the negotiating table.
Security sources told Sudan Tribune bloody clashes erupted six kilometers away from Heglig which led to “significant injuries” and Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers being evacuated to the city hospital. Furthermore, the sources added that foreign oil workers were relocated outside Heglig.
On the Teludi front, anti-government rebels from Sudan People Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) continued bombing the town.
SAF spokesperson Colonel al-Sawarmi Khalid Sa’ad accused South Sudan’s People Liberation Army (SPLA) of a fresh incursion three kilometers in the Teshwin area of Heglig describing it as a violation of international conventions.
Colonel Sa’ad said that said that SAF dealt swiftly with the “aggressors” and continues to carry out its duty in repelling “invaders”.
This week Khartoum accused the SPLA of collaborating with SPLM-N and rebels from the Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) to attack the two towns in a bid to control them.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir on Monday acknowledged his country’s participation in the Heglig assault but alleged that this was on the course of chasing out SAF units that launched a ground and aerial attack on Unity state.
The military escalation led Khartoum to call off a meeting that was scheduled for Tuesday between Kiir and his Sudanese counterpart Omer Hassan al-Bashir for the purpose of signing two framework agreements on nationality and borders.
The African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) led by chairman Thabo Mbeki has called both sides this week for a meeting on security issues. So far only informal meetings took place along with ones at an expert level.
Currently senior officials from the two countries are present in Addis Ababa for talks that have yet to start.
South Sudan claimed on Sunday that the talks were “deliberately derailed” by Sudan.
The two parties reportedly failed to start their meeting because Sudan’s Minister of the Defense, Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein and SAF Chief of Staff General Haj Ahmed Algaily Ahmed were absent.
South Sudan’s chief negotiator Pagan Amum issued a statement claiming that elements in Khartoum who opposed the Bashir-Kiir meeting “continue to undermine the negotiations between the countries by launching daily aerial bombardments of South Sudan”.
“Regrettably, these enemies of peace continue to undermine the negotiations between the countries by launching daily aerial bombardments of South Sudan – even today they bombed Manga town in Unity State deep inside the territory of South Sudan and the positions of the 4th division of the SPLA stationed within South Sudan,” read the press release.
“At the same time Sudan is deflecting attention away from these hostile acts, creating a smoke screen, by disseminating false accusations against South Sudan. Yesterday, yet another false allegation has been made to the AUHIP, namely that South Sudan has invaded Sudan and SPLA troops of division 4 are currently moving 90km inside Sudanese territory in support of SPLM-N. For the record – South Sudan has not invaded Sudan and there is no presence of a single South Sudanese soldier on Sudanese soil. To the contrary it is Sudan that is occupying South Sudanese territory in Hofra El Nahas, Kefia Kengi, Abyei, Heglig/(Panthow), Meganes etc” it added.
But SAF’s spokesperson dismissed Amum’s assertions describing it as “completely false”. He did say, however, that presence of Sudan army in some disputed areas does not constitute an occupation because the SPLA is doing the same thing.
Colonel Sa’ad stressed that allegations of SAF aerial bombardments is not supported by any evidence. He called for African Union (AU) monitors to be deployed for verification.
“Our evidence are the violations on the ground […] the observer has to see what is happening there and they [SPLA] are now in our territory […] They are massing troops on the borders to attack Heglig and media bodies showed this,” he said.
Nonetheless, Sudan’s delegation in Addis Ababa said it was committed to talks as Khartoum wanted peace.
“The government confirms that dialogue with South Sudan is the right way to solve all issues and to have peace between the two states,” the delegation said in a statement, Sudan official news agency (SUNA) reported.
Sudan’s defense minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein will head on Monday to Addis Ababa to be part of the political-security talks with focus on reducing the tensions on the borders.
The two sides are to present their views in writing regarding the disputed issues before tomorrow’s meeting, said Sudan’s foreign ministry spokesperson Al-Obeid Marwih.
(ST)