SPLM-N accuses Sudanese government of obstructing POWs transfer

June 25, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – The rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) has accused unnamed parties within the Sudanese government of hindering the transfer of Prisoners of War (POWs) and detainees held by the movement to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum.

Since several days, it was announced that 41 POWs and detainees will be transported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in two batches to Khartoum via Addis Ababa on 23 and 24 June.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Saturday, the SPLM-N said it has formed a committee to oversee the transfer of the POWs and detainees by the ICRC from Kauda in South Kordofan and Yabous in the Blue Nile after the Sudanese government agreed to the move.

According to the statement, the committee began ground work alongside the ICRC, the Sai’hoon and the Sudanese consular in Addis Ababa after the Sudanese foreign minister Ibrahim Ghandour gave the necessary permits to complete the operation.

“Consequently, all parties agreed to transfer the PWS to Asosa and then to Khartoum on 23 and 24 June and the [POWs] were officially seen off in the liberated areas” the statement read.

It added that the ICRC brought its planes but the Sudanese security organs have obstructed the operation, saying they did not respect the feelings of the families or the POWs themselves.

The statement further condemned what it described as the “inhumane and irresponsible behaviour of the government” and its conflicting organs, renewing SPLM-N’s absolute commitment to exert every possible effort to secure the transfer of the POWs and detainees as soon as possible.

“Two meetings have already been held among the ICRC, Sai’hoon and the SPLM-N to make further efforts to transport the POWs to their families before the Eid Al-Fitr [the Festival of Fast-Breaking] and before the [rainy season] hinders their transfer” the statement read.

For its part, the Sa’ihoon group that mediates the operation, in a statement on Saturday, said it is discussing with all parties involved ways to overcome the obstacles to secure the arrival of the POWs and detainees to their families.

Sa’ihoon added that it exerted a considerable effort to overcome the procedural and coordination difficulties, saying however those efforts were unsuccessful.

“That is why the operation has been suspended to a later date” the statement read
“The Sa’ihoon initiative assures all families [of the POWs and detainees] that all parties stick to their commitment until the POWs join their families soon,” it added.

The Sa’ihoon group, which means ‘God-seeking wanderers’ in Arabic, is a loose association of committed Islamists and former Popular Defense Forces (PDF) combatants.

In 2013, the Sa’ihoon distanced themselves from the government of president Omer al-Bashir and demanded the end of war and democratic reforms.

In December 2014, the SPLM-N decided to release 20 POWs and 21 staff of mining companies as gesture of goodwill for the Sa’ihoon which held a series of meetings with the rebels in Addis Ababa over peace and democratic reforms.

FAILURE TO OBTAIN TAKEOFF PERMISSION

Meanwhile, the ICRC said it has postponed an operation scheduled for 23 and 24 June to transfer POWs and detainees held by the SPLM-N in the Two Areas to Khartoum because the final permission to take off was not granted.

In a statement extended to Sudan Tribune on Saturday, the ICRC said that following “months of negotiations and preparations, all parties involved asked the ICRC to conduct this operation, allowing it to use its planes”.

“Unfortunately, the final authorization to take off on the said dates was not granted, and the operation has been postponed to a later date” it added.

The ICRC called on “all parties involved to continue working together to allow the concerned detainees to return home to their families as soon as possible”, saying it stands ready to provide this humanitarian service at all times.

The statement further said that since 2012, the ICRC has facilitated the repatriation of 32 POW’s released by the governments of Sudan and South Sudan.

“It [the ICRC] has also facilitated the handover of Sudanese and foreign detainees released by armed opposition groups in Darfur” the statement read.

(ST)