Sudan reiterates its rejection of rebel demand for humanitarian truce

June 23, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The ruling National Congress Party renewed on Sunday its rejection of a proposition made by the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) for a humanitarian cessation of hostilities to carry out a vaccination campaign.

SPLM-N secretary general Yasir Arman, who leads its negotiating team, demanded again on Sunday to hold talks with the Sudanese government on how to organise a Polio vaccination campaign targeting 150.000 children under five years old in rebel held areas in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Arman proposed a temporary humanitarian cessation of hostilities and to bring the vaccine and the material needed to carry out this operation directly from regional countries, Ethiopia and Kenya. The rebel group also requests that SPLM- humanitarian personnel should be involved instead of Sudanese staff.

He said taht the families in the rebel controlled areas do not trust a vaccine brought from Khartoum which attempts to kill their children through the continued bombing .

Qubeis Ahmed Mustafa NCP deputy spokesperson reiterated Sunday evening the position of his government rejecting to hold humanitarian talks separately from the political file.

“This is totally unacceptable”, Mustafa said, adding the SPLM-N had previously made this proposition and the Sudanese government delegation already declined it demanding to negotiate a political agreement before the humanitarian issue.

He said that the rebel SPLM-N which kill children in North Kordofan’s Um Rawaba and Abu Kershola is the “farthest” from contributing to the vaccination campaign.

He further pointed out that the SPLM-N statements are “unclear” and express that the rebels “have lost grounds and need for a truce with the government but this will not happen and it is unacceptable”

The deputy spokesperson said they are resolved to not repeat the Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS) in the rebel areas.

The operation was established in April 1989, months before Bashir coup d’état, as a result of an agreement signed by the government, UN aid agencies and SPLM rebels to reach civilians regardless of their location or political affiliation in South Sudan.

Sudan said the aid agencies instead of reaching civilians in the devastated famine areas delivered food to the SPLA fighters.

(ST)