South Sudan MPs donate 10% of salary to armed forces
April 16, 2012 (JUBA) – South Sudanese MPs in the country’s parliament in Juba have agreed to give 10% of their salary to country’s military as the fighting against the Sudanese army in disputed oil-rich border areas approaches its third week.
Less than a year after South Sudan’s independence the country is close to all out war with Khartoum and facing severe austerity measures after it decided to stop oil production in January after an dispute over transit fees.
Six years of inertia, procrastination, bickering and brinksmanship during a peace deal from 2005-2011 has meant that many issues, including demarcating most of the 1,800 kilometre north-south border and an oil deal to allow Juba to export its crude through Sudan, remain unresolved.
South Sudanese MPs endorsed President Salva Kiir’s decision not to withdraw his troops from Hegilg on Thursday. The next day Kiir laid out the key conditions under which he would order the SPLA to retreat. He asked that either UN peacekeepers are deployed to the are or Khartoum would have gave guarantees not to use the area as a base to attack Unity State.
Khartoum has rejected the proposals and has vowed to retake the area, internationally recognised as being part of South Kordofan, using force. South Sudan has denied assertions from the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) that they have been able to wrestle back part of the region.
On Monday the Sudanese parliament in Khartoum voted to designate South Sudan an “enemy” state, further indicating the dire state of relations between Africa’s youngest and its third largest nations.
Meanwhile in Juba, Atem Garang, the MP for Twic East and Duk County in Jonglei State told reporters that the Ministry of Health should establish a medical team at the frontline where the army is fighting to treat the wounded soldiers.
Another MP Awut Deng said that there was also a need to establish a mobile hospital at the border to take care of the wounded soldiers.
A UN report covering 6-13 April found that: “Most casualties admitted to hospitals in Bentiu were military.” Officials in Unity State reported that four civilians and one soldier were killed when SAF bombed a strategically important bridge near the Unity State capital on Saturday.
Akol Pual MP, told his fellow representatives to be mindful that the current crisis might lead to a full scale war and called upon them to be prepared. He further said that the country should be prepared to donate blood for the soldiers who may be wounded in the war.
(ST)