Sudan voices reservations over aid proposal
October 24, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government revealed on Wednesday that it has a number of reservations on the plan of action proposed by the Tripartite Initiative to deliver aid in the country’s war-torn regions of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
The Tripartite Initiative, which consists of the AU, UN and the Arab League, announced earlier this month that it was ready to start delivering humanitarian assistance to the population affected by the conflict in the two regions as soon as the government and the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) respond to a plan of action it proposed for operating in areas held by the insurgents.
In a statement to Sudan’s official news agency, the general director of the organization department of the state Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), Ali Adam Sidiq, said that the government accepted the overall framework of the plan but also expressed reservations over a number of essential elements such as the security arrangements because it is tied to SPLM-N rebels and the timeframe of the plan.
Sidiq added that they agreed with representatives of the Tripartite Initiative to refer the matter to the high coordination committee between the government and the Tripartite Initiative.
The plan of action is part of a deal reached in August to deliver humanitarian assistance in rebels-controlled areas. The Tripartite Initiative says that the SPLM-N too is yet to indicate acceptance of the plan.
SPLM-N rebels blame the government for delaying the implementation of the deal accusing it of trying to get its agents to work in their areas and gather intelligence. The group’s spokesperson Arnu Loddi told Sudan Tribune last week that they will not accept the involvement of any government personnel in aid delivery operations in their areas.
The UN says a total of 908,000 people have been displaced or severely affected by the 16-month conflict in Blue Nile and South Kordofan where fighting recently escalated after Sudan and South Sudan signed on 27 September a security deal that Khartoum says will see Juba severing its ties to the rebels who fought as part of South Sudan army during the north-south civil war of Sudan.
(ST)