Sudan’s unfinished business: fighting in Southern Kordofan
South Sudan has gained independence but in Sudan the conflict continues in the contested border state of Southern Kordofan, and the UN has compiled reports of atrocities
New recruits in a secret camp in the Nuba Mountains of Southern Kordofan train to join fighters from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army North. Photograph: Trevor Snapp/AFP
While the world focused on the historic creation of the state of South Sudan last month, UN officials and investigators were busy compiling reports of atrocities in Southern Kordofan, a contested border state in north Sudan. It is partly populated by Nuba communities – who took up arms alongside the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) during Sudan’s long-running civil war.
The investigations, one published by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (pdf) (OHCHR) and the other leaked from the UN Mission in Sudan (Unmis), conclude that serious violations ofhuman rights and humanitarian law were committed after conflict erupted in Southern Kordofan on 5 June between the government of Sudan and the northern remnant of the SPLM/A, now referred to as the SPLM/A North (SPLM/A-N).
The 2005 comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) between the government of Sudan and the SPLM ended decades of north-south civil war but failed to make adequate provision for the border regions in the north of Sudan where many had fought alongside the southern forces. In Southern Kordofan in particular, the process of administrative and military integration between the government and the local branches of the SPLM/A was never genuinely realised.
The resurgence of conflict in Southern Kordofan did not take Sudan observers by surprise. But the brutality in the first few weeks was chilling. The UN reports contain a catalogue of atrocities, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, disappearances and looting. An estimated 200,000 people have been displaced after daily bombardments of densely populated civilian areas by the Sudanese military.
The reports describe how civilians fleeing the violence sought refuge where there was none – first, in the police compound; then in the churches; then in the "protective perimeter" established next to the UN compound in Kadugli, where thousands sought protection. The reports document how Unmis was unable or unwilling to intervene as armed men entered the perimeter site targeting ethnic Nuba and those suspected of SPLM/A-N affiliation. They also document how local Unmis staff were dragged from their vehicles and detained.
Unmis’s mandate expired on 9 July, the date of South Sudan’s independence, and peacekeepers and civilian staff have started withdrawing from Southern Kordofan. Most international aid organisations have also left the area or have withdrawn staff following the outbreak of the fighting.
Each side accuses the other of starting the conflict and dragging the region back into war. Khartoum’s enemies accuse it of ethnic cleansing against Nubas, and speak of another Darfur. Khartoum accuses South Sudan of sponsoring a campaign to further undermine President Omar al-Bashir – already indicted by the international criminal court for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
The Sudanese government has rebutted the OHCHR’s findings, as no UN human rights monitors were able to conduct field investigations. As the propaganda war escalates, it is essential that independent investigators are allowed in by both parties, in order to establish what has happened in Southern Kordofan since 5 June.
Khartoum announced last Saturday that it will permit six UN agencies to take part in a government-organised mission to Southern Kordofan to assess the human rights situation and humanitarian needs. This is a welcome move, as is Tuesday’s declaration by the government of a two-week unilateral ceasefire. However, the presence of government officials on the assessment mission means that there is a danger access will be restricted to areas under government control, and that the human rights investigation will be constrained.
Regarding the humanitarian assessment, it is vital that humanitarian organisations be allowed to access areas controlled by the SPLM/A-N. Displaced people in these areas have so far been assisted by local aid workers using the minimal relief supplies left behind by international organisations. These stocks have now been exhausted, and conditions will further deteriorate as hunger increases and respiratory diseases are exacerbated by the rains.
All parties to the conflict must grant unimpeded access for humanitarian organisations, to enable them to reach affected populations. Many Nuba in Southern Kordofan were victims of a 13-year de facto humanitarian blockade during the civil war. This denial of aid must not happen again.
While safe access for aid agencies must be a priority, the key to resolving humanitarian issues lies in reaching a negotiated solution to the conflict. The previous conflict in the area has shown how difficult it would be for either party to achieve a total military victory. A lasting political solution to the conflict, which addresses its root causes, is critical for the long-term security and stability of both Sudan and South Sudan.
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