New “additions and improvements” needed to accept U.S. proposal: SPLM-N

March 12, 2017 (KHARTOUM) – A senior official from the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/North (SPLM-N) on Sunday said the Movement demands that some “additions and improvements” be made to the U. S. humanitarian proposal before it could sign it.

The official source, who spoke to Sudan Tribune Sunday on the condition of anonymity, denied statements made by the presidential aide Ibrahim Mahmoud Hamid during his visit to the Kadugli, capital of South Kordofan on Saturday in which he said the SPLM-N has accepted the U.S. proposal.

“The Movement demands that some additions or improvements [be made to the proposal] including the use of an external border crossing point,” he said.

“The Movement demands [to deliver assistance through] Asosa or the same crossing point used for the transfer of government prisoners,” he further added.

Last week, SPLM-N released 125 Prisoners of War (POWs) from the government forces. The release operation was conducted through external crossing points in South Sudan and Uganda territories.

The Sudanese army has been fighting the SPLM-N in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, also known as the Two Areas since 2011.

Talks between the two sides for a cessation of hostilities and humanitarian access are stalled since last August. The SPLM-N demands to deliver 20% of the humanitarian assistance through a humanitarian corridor from Asosa, an Ethiopian border town.

In order to break the impasse on an agreement and facilitate humanitarian assistance, the United States last November has offered to deliver humanitarian medical assistance to the people in SPLM-N controlled areas.

However, the SPLM-N declined the American proposal and stuck to its demand for a humanitarian corridor through Asosa, an Ethiopian Town near the border with Sudan to directly deliver 20% of the humanitarian aid to the civilians in the conflict-affected areas.

(ST)