Khartoum rejects SPLM-N’s call for humanitarian deal, warns Juba against supporting rebels
March 15, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government Tuesday quickly rejected SPLM-N’s call for a separate humanitarian agreement in the Blue Nile and South Kordofan, and warned Juba against providing military support to the rebel group.
“The SPLM-N sticks to its demand that Humanitarian assistance for the Two Areas be delivered through South Sudan because it intends to open the door for weapons smuggling and transfer of its injured fighters for treatment abroad,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Ali al-Sadiq.
Sadiq further called on the international community to put pressure on the SPLM-N to “halt trading with the suffering of the affected civilians” in its war against the Sudanese army.
The SPLM-N explains its position saying the Sudanese security would infiltrate the aid workers to collect information about their positions and forces.
The two warring parties will meet on 18 March in Addis Ababa with two armed groups in Darfur and the opposition National Umma Party (NUP) to discuss ways to create a conducive environment, including humanitarian access, before to participate in the national dialogue process inside the country.
Sadiq said his government sticks to the tripartite mechanism of the African Union, Arab League and United Nations to supervise the distribution of food and relief items to the civilians in the rebel held areas.
He also said that the government has “bitter” experiences with the foreign stations to transport humanitarian relief to the needy inside country, in reference to the UN humanitarian base in Lokichoggio, Kenya during the Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS), 1989-2005.
At the time the government accused the UN agencies and aid groups of providing food and relief aid to the rebels directly. It also accused them of transporting weapons and offering their service for the displacement of rebel officials.
REPRIMAND TO JUBA
On a related development, the spokesperson of the foreign ministry warned Juba against providing support to the SPLM-N rebels in order to destabilize Sudan.
Al-Sadiq called on the South Sudanese government to distance itself from supporting the SPLM-N and to opt for a neutrality “similar to Khartoum’s position from the South Sudanese rebel groups”.
He also said it would be in the interest of the two countries to work for developing bilateral relations after Sudan’s initiative to open the border and reviewing oil transportation fees.
The statement comes as the semi-official SMC news website which is close to the Sudanese intelligence service reported that the SPLM-N leadership held a meeting with the South Sudanese defence minister and the head of the South Sudanese security service to discuss their military needs and ways to support them to face the summer campaign launched by the Sudanese army.
South Sudanese Presidential Adviser for Decentralization and Inter-Governmental Linkage, Tor Deng Mawin, was in Khartoum on Sunday 13 March where he met with the First Vice-President Bakri Hassn Saleh.
No details were released about the purpose of his visit.
(ST)