S. Sudan MPs warn Khartoum attacks may push SPLA to Heglig again
May 10, 2012 (JUBA) – South Sudan parliamentary official said on Wednesday it would attack the oil contested area of Panthou/Heglig if Sudanese armed forces continues to assault its territories.
South Sudanese troops occupied Heglig from 10 to 20 April but it pulled out from the area after international pressure and clashes with the Sudanese army.
“It has been long since we withdrew our forces from Panthou in response to calls from the international community including UN resolution and AU to cease hostilities but Sudanese government has never stopped sending troops to attack our positions,” said Aleu Ayeny Aleu, chairperson of the Security Committee in the National Legislative Assembly
Aleu, just returned from an official trip after paying solidarity visit to all Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) positions deployed in the strategic places along the border areas. . He led parliamentary committee whose members included the chair of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement Youth League, Akol Paul Kordit.
He said he had witnessed a lot of destructions caused by the aerial bombardments by the Sudanese air force in areas inside territories of the new nation, particularly in Unity State.
“If you see the damaged caused by the resumption of ground incursion and aerial bombardment of Sudanese armed forces into territories inside the republic of South Sudan, you will conclude that Khartoum has completely declared an all out return to war”, he explained.
The senior member of the country’s governing Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) said he had given a report of his visit to the speaker of the National parliament, James Wani Igga.
SPLM youth leader Kordit called on youth to join the country’s army in defending the country against what he described as “foreign invaders”.
“You can’t do business when your country is being invaded. You can’t go to school when schools are being bombed and you can’t go to work when resources are being stolen,” said Kordit.
He said he does not see any reason why the SPLA should not return to Panthou should the Sudanese armed forces continues to carry aerial bombardment and ground incursions into territories of the republic of South Sudan.
Meanwhile, Col. Kella Dual Kueth, deputy spokesperson for the South Sudan armed forces, said there were attacks on Monday and Tuesday in the states of Upper Nile, Unity and Northern Bahr el Ghazal.
“Tension remains high along the border areas as we speak, because Sudan is amassing troops and they have already resumed aerial bombardments of our positions. This is a violation of the Security Council resolutions of the United Nations and African Union recommendations which calls for immediate cessation of hostilities,” Kueth told Sudan Tribune on Thursday.
The Security Council of the United Nations last month approved a resolution demanding the two countries to cease hostilities and said it would impose sanctions against the violator should they fail to stop military confrontations and called for unconditional return to negotiations.
Kueth said attacks by the Sudanese army were becoming a routine along the border areas that some of them (attacks) are never reported by the local authorities to the general headquarters.
“I did not receive any information today because it is still early. But it is possible that they may have carried out attacks because it is becoming a routine that local authorities do not report them to us, especially when there are no casualties though these attacks occurs in the morning and evening each day.”
He did not say how many bombs were dropped on Monday and Tuesday or how many people were killed in attacks launched by Sudanese warplanes. He pointed out that this belligerence indicates that Khartoum is either not interested in peace talks with his country or wanted to use it as pressure on the talks.
“There are two messages by the attacks. Maybe they are interested in peace talks with our government and want to pursue military option or they are using them (attacks) as tactic to amount pressure on the mediators to gain sympathies”, explained Colonel Kueth
“If they are for peace and really serious about making this peace processes a reality they could not have carried out attacks daily. How could you attack and then claim a peace talk? They are just pretending in order to divert international attention from their activities but we know it,” he said
(ST)