from Judy Miriga

Khartoum — At least 8 people have been injured in an aerial bombardment by Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) hunting rebel forces from war torn region of Darfur in Aweil north county, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, South Sudan.
Colonel Philip Aguer Panyang, official spokesperson for Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army, on Saturday told Sudan Tribune from the regional capital of Juba that two military aircrafts belonging to the Khartoum-controlled SAF dropped bombs on southern territory in the state of Northern Bahr el Ghazal.

“I am told by our forces on the ground in Northern Bahr el Ghazal that the air attack occurred on Friday. No death causalities have been reported but there are reports that 8 civilians have sustained serious injuries. Some of these victims with light injuries are being nursed in the local clinic in Gok Machar but those with inflicted shrapnel injuries and are at critical conditions have been moved to Aweil civil hospital,” explained Panyang.

However, other southern officials have indicated that there may have been fatalities.

The senior military officer said the high military command in Juba contacted Khartoum yesterday night for explanation and were told that the bombing was part of government forces pursuing Darfur rebels the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

“We contacted central command of the Sudan Armed Forces yesterday night seeking explanation of why they bombarded our territory. The explanation they gave us in response was that they were pursuing rebel forces. They said it was not their intention to bomb our areas. They were only following routes of the Darfur rebels,” explained Panyang.

Sudan Armed Forces spokesperson Al-Sawarmi Khaled, accused the southern Sudan ruling party of supporting JEM saying the southern army (SPLA) evacuated wounded rebels to Juba and to Uganda.

Al-Sawarmi said SAF forces on Saturday attacked JEM rebels – who were trying to cross the 1956 border into south Sudan – in Meram, South Kordofan state.

The SAF spokesperson claimed the JEM fighters had withdrawn to South Sudan to receive help from the SPLA. He said the SPLA evacuated 67 injured rebels through Jaj airstrip in Bhar el-Ghazal to Juba and Uganda.

SAF spokesperson stressed this support is a clear violation of the military and security protocols of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), between the Khartoum government and the former rebel SPLM/A.

Helping JEM hinders government efforts to achieve peace in Darfur, Al-Sawarmi added.

Ahmed Hussein Adam, JEM spokesperson speaking to Sudan Tribune from Doha where he is taking part in discussions between the mediation and the rebel group over the resumption of peace, denied any presence of their fighters in southern Sudan. He further accused the Sudanese government of seeking pretext to delay the referendum on southern Sudan independence.

“These are baseless allegations. This is a conspiracy by the Sudanese government to impede the referendum process,” he said.

“But we say they have to hold the referendum on time,” he stressed.
The National Congress Party this week repeated accusation to the southern Sudan government of harboring JEM rebels, a matter that southern Sudan officials denied.
Colonel Deng Thiep Akok, a former commissioner of Aweil North who comes from the area also confirmed to Sudan Tribune from Juba occurrence of the incident and disputed claims that the bomb was meant for Darfur rebels.

“Sudan Armed Forces claimed that the bomb was meant for Darfur rebels who are alleged to have attacked Majaac on Monday. Majaac is a settlement under south Darfur territory. They claimed that Sudan Armed Forces attacked Majaac and looted everything before they retrieved towards Gokmachar in Northern Bahr el Ghazal. This is not correct. I come from the area and I am not aware of the presence of some Darfur rebels in the area. As far as I know the area, there are no rebels from Darfur operating in the area presently,” said Akok.

Akok said that the attack was part of a plan by Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party to sabotage voter registration processes for the south’s referendum, which is due to begin next Monday.

Officials from United Nations Mission in Sudan working in Aweil town, capital of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, said a UN team was going to the area to assess the situation.

“We are told that the area of the attack could be between two states: Northern Bahr Gazal, which is part of South Sudan, and South Darfur, which is part of the north,” said the official from UNMIS who declined to be named.

The borders between north and south Sudan have not been demarcated despite the 2005 peace deal establishing mechanisms to do so.
In the run up to January’s referendum on southern independence some members of the NCP have said that the vote should be delayed until the border is finalised. The southern government has rejected this saying that border demarcation can be completed after the poll takes place.

There is concern as the vote approaches that rising tensions on the north-south border could trigger renewed conflict.

South Sudan fought a two-decade civil war against successive Khartoum governments in which 2 million people died and more than a million migrated north to escape the fighting.

The independence referendum will be the culmination of the 2005 peace deal that ended over 20 years of north-south conflict.

Sudan: UNAMID Chief Warns of North-South Affect Over Darfur, Demands Access to War Zones
14 November 2010

Khartoum — The recent flare-up of fighting between the Sudanese government and rebels in Darfur as well as tension along shared borders with south Sudan has exacerbated the security situation in Darfur, the head of the UN-AU peacekeeping mission in the region said on Sunday.

Ibrahim Gambari, who heads the hybrid peacekeeping mission known as UNAMID, told reporters in a press conference at Rotana Hotel in the capital Khartoum yesterday that he was “deeply concerned” about the renewal of violence in the region, urging the belligerent parties to immediately cease hostilities.

“I call upon all parties to refrain from further offensive military action and respect international humanitarian law,” Gambari said.

In the past weeks, Darfur region witnessed a spike in fighting between government forces on one side, and rebels from the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur on the other side.

The increase in violence comes as Sudan inches closer to holding a politically sensitive vote in January 2011 on the full independence of its semi-autonomous region of south Sudan from the north. The plebiscite is stipulated by a 2005 peace deal that ended Africa’s longest war between the Muslim-Arab north and the Christian-African south.

North and south Sudan have recently traded accusations of exhibiting an aggressive military posture along shared borders and supporting each others’ rebels.
On Thursday, South Sudan army the SPLA said that militias associated with north Sudan are acting in a provocative manner with the intent of breaching the permanent ceasefire between the two sides.

Similarly, north Sudan on Friday accused south Sudan army of aiding JEM rebels who clashed with government forces near Al-Meirem which abuts south Sudan’s state of Bahri al-Ghazal.

South Sudan said on Saturday that north Sudan army “accidently” dropped a bomb inside its territories as it was conducting an aerial bombardment against Darfur rebels.

Gambari voiced fears that “old alignment” between south Sudan leaders and Darfur rebels could be “rekindled” and result in further complication of the situation in Darfur.
The peacekeeping chief further warned that armed incidents along north-south borders shared borders could extend to affect Darfur.

“We are also concerned about the spillover effect of the north-south border and the armed incidents occurring there, particularly in the no man’s land between south of Sudan and south of Darfur,” he said.

However, he later said that his mission had devised “a contingency plan” to counter any violence resulting from tension between north and south Sudan.
“That’s why UNMIS and UNAMID have developed contingency plans,” he added.

Gambari also said that UNAMID needs to gain “unimpeded” access to all areas affected by recent fighting in order to assist the population there.
On Darfur peace process, Gamabari said that the UN-AU Chief Mediator for Darfur Djibril Bassole had held a “good” meeting with JEM leader Khalil Ibrahim, reiterating his calls on JEM and SLM-Nur to join Darfur peace talks in the Qatari capital of Doha.
Sudan Tribune took Gambari aside and asked him about the latest developments regarding the case of the six Darfur refugees who are under UNAMID custody and sought by the Sudanese government on accusations of instigating last July’s violent clashes in Kalma displacement camp between supporters and opponents of Darfur peace talks.

Gambari said that the situation in this particular case was “under control” and that UNAMID was working very closely with the Sudanese authorities in order to reach what he called “a win-win outcome.”
He elaborated that the ideal win-win outcome would be a one that respects the sovereignty of Sudan and assures the UN that the wanted IDPs would receive a proper trial observed by UNAMID, access to attorney and immunity from capital punishment.
Darfur region came to the fore of international agendas in 2003 when a harsh counterinsurgency campaign by Khartoum government against rebel groups created one of the worst humanitarian situations in recent history.
According to UN estimates, the conflict killed 300.000 people and displaced more than 2 million.