The Sudanese government has been
accused of violating a cease-fire it agreed with the rebel Sudan
Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) mid-January for the country's region of
Nuba Mountains.
In a statement issued in Nairobi Tuesday,
the SPLA said this was the third time in a month that Khartoum had
disrupted the truce that seeks to facilitate the ferrying of relief
assistance to civilians in the Mountains located in Sudan's Southern
Kordofan province. The two parties agreed to the cease-fire on January
19, in Switzerland, which was brokered by Swiss and American diplomats
led by the US special envoy on peace in Sudan, Senator John Danforth.
Permitting of relief aid to civilians in the Nuba Mountains region is one of the four confidence building measures proposed in December last year by Danforth, appointed in September by US President George W. Bush to mediate one of Africa's longest wars now entering its 19th year. The other preconditions were an end of hostilities in the Mountains, a cessation of aerial bombing of civilians by government bombers in southern Sudan and the creation of "zones of tranquillity" to allow aid to be delivered to conflict areas.
According to the statement signed by SPLA spokesman, Samson Kwaje, government forces on February 19, launched a series of attacks on civilian settlements in the Mountain's Lagawa County. Two days later, the army dispersed another settlement in Miri Juoa area and also established an army unit at Rafo area in Lagawa County. "The GOS (Government of Sudan) army is now busy with the building of houses in this area in what is tantamount to a blatant breach of the Nuba Mountain cease-fire agreement," said Kwaje. "By establishing a military base in Rafo, the army is aiming at displacing thousands of Tulushi citizens from their fertile agricultural land," he added.
Kwaje said these latest developments are the third in a series of breaches of the agreement by Khartoum. He cited two previous incidents which occurred on January 23 and February 3. In the second incident, government troops are accused of having occupied a new position overlooking an SPLA base at Tasare area.
"It is evidently obvious that the GOS does not intend to honour this agreement, to which the US is a signatory," said Kwaje who also pointed hat Khartoum has not halted aerial bombardment of civilian centres in southern Sudan. "It is therefore clear that the GOS is acting at cross purposes with the US."
The violations being cited by the SPLA come in the throes of a bombing wave in southern Sudan by government bombers. On February 20, 17 people were killed after helicopter gunships fired five rockets at a relief centre in Bieh, Western Upper Nile during a food distribution exercise by the World Food Programme (WFP). Earlier, other bombers had killed two children after attacking three relief centres- Nimni and Koch, both in Western Upper Nile and Akuem in Northern Bahr el Ghazal.
Kwaje reiterated that the SPLA is keen to observe the truce and called on the US and Switzerland to pressure Khartoum to refrain from breaching it. This will be through the formation of a Joint Military Commission (JMC) and an International Monitoring Unit (IMU) to oversee the implementation of the agreement. However, Switzerland has already said it won't send military observers with government officials citing the long process required to do so and a new law that bars the sending troops to Sudan.
Last week, Oswald Sigg, spokesman for the Swiss Ministry of Defence said it would be hard to send peacekeepers without a mandate from the United Nations or the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
According to media reports, the US as well as the warring parties would have welcomed Switzerland's role as an observer. At the same time, the country's Minister for Defence Samuel Schmid told the Swiss cabinet that a new military law, which was revised in June last year, would not permit sending troops to Sudan. An additional clause allowing such a mission with the sole agreement of the parties involved was discussed, however, rejected by parliament. According to media reports, the US as well as Sudan's warring parties would have welcomed Switzerland's role as an observer.
For inquiries, contact,
The editor
Sudan Catholic Information Office (SCIO)
SCIO@maf.or.ke
Tel. 577616/ 577595/ 577949
Fax 254-2-577327