South Sudan claims Sudan attacks Aweil leaving 10 people dead
May 28, 2012 (JUBA) – South Sudan said Monday said 10 people, most of whom were innocent civilians, have lost their lives following an attack allegedly carried out by the armed forces of the neigbouring Sudan.
Colonel Philip Aguer Panyang, spokesman of the South Sudanese army (SPLA), accused the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) of resuming “aggression” against Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, which began on Saturday 26 May and was ongoing on Monday 28 May.
Juba says over 80 bombs have been dropped on their side of the contested, tense, and highly-militarised border.
Aguer said that SAF were using Meiram in South Kordofan as military base to launch attacks on South Sudan, targeting the largely civilian settlement in Warguet, Majak Woi and Kiirkou, in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State.
“Areas of Majak Wol and Majak Bai were bombed by the Sudanese Air Force. These attacks were carried out consecutively on 25th, 26th and 27th” of May, he said.
Sudanese paramilitary the Popular Defense Forces (PDF) “carried out the raid in Majak on 26 [May], killing one woman on her farm and raided cattle,” he said
Speaking at the same briefing, Minister of Information and Media Affairs, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, said ten people were killed in Monday’s attack, in which several others were wounded.
Sudan in a complaint lodged to the UN Security Council last week accused South Sudanese troops of attempting to occupy Meiram and other bordering areas.
The two countries continue to trade accusations of attacks and support to rebel groups from both sides despite their formal acceptance of a UN resolution demanding to stop hostilities and to create a conducive environment for the resumption of talks.
Khartoum was using the same tactics that provoked the SPLA into occupying Heglig/Panthou for 10 days in April, the minister said.
“The intention is to spoil the environment of the current peace talks. This is exactly what they did on March 26, 2012, when Sudanese Armed Forces attacked in Panakuac [in South Sudan’s Unity State], leading to series of clashes which eventually prompted our forces to react in self-defense and subsequently took over Panthou”, he said.
He dismissed Khartoum’s pledge to honour peace, describing it as “lip service”.
“We have heard what they said but will they respect it. How many times we have heard them telling international [community] that they are committed to peaceful settlement since last year and they have not acted”, he said.
In Khartoum, the military spokesperson Al-Swarmi Khaled dismissed the accusations. He also denied the recent accusations of flying over the South Sudanese capital last week asking to show any evidence to prove that.
Pagan Amum, Secretary of the South Sudan’s ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), also accused Sudanese air force of violating the airspace of South Sudan.
“Today, as we are leaving to the negotiations, the government of Sudan is attacking South Sudan. Now, as we speak, the state of Northern Bahr el Ghazal is under attack by the Republic of Sudan by land and also aerial bombardment is continuing. These are not signs of peace,” Amum told reporters at Juba airport as he left to Ethiopia to resume negotiations with Sudan.
Amum said his government remains committed to reaching a peaceful settlement on all pending issues with the government of neighbouring Sudan.
(ST)