Press Release
Sudanese Armed Forces Clash With Opposition Fighters in Blue Nile Province
Sudanese government forces and members of the northern branch of the ruling party in neighboring South Sudan clashed in the capital of Blue Nile state, the governor and an army spokesman said.
State Governor Malik Agar said government forces attacked members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, of which he is chairman. “When our forces shot back at them, they just heavily bombarded my house and all sites” of the SPLM-N in the state capital, Al-Damazin, he said.
Al-Sawarmi Khaled, a Sudanese army spokesman, said SPLM-N forces attacked first at the southern entrance to Al-Damazin. Sudanese government troops are now in “full control” of the area, he said by phone today from Khartoum, Sudan’s capital. “We’re now carrying out military operations to chase remnants of rebels in Blue Nile.”
Sudan’s government has been trying to disarm members of the SPLM-N in the border states of Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan who fought with the forces of South Sudan during the two-decade civil war that ended in 2005. South Sudan gained independence on July 9. Sudanese government soldiers have clashed with SPLM-N fighters since June 5 in Southern Kordofan.
Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir announced a cease-fire in Southern Kordofan last week.
Southern Kordofan
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said in an Aug. 30 statement that the government continued to bomb civilian areas in Southern Kordofan after the declaration of the cease- fire. Khaled denied the allegation.
“Now the real aim behind the cease-fire in Southern Kordofan was uncovered: just paving the political and military situation for attacks on Blue Nile,” Yasser Arman, the SPLM-N secretary-general, said today in an e-mailed statement.
More than 300 vehicles carrying residents fleeing Al- Damazin were heading today to Wed Al-Nile, a town 86 kilometers (53 miles) north of Al-Damazin, Esmail Mohamed, a member of Ummah, Sudan’s biggest opposition party, said by phone as he travelled in the convoy.
“The situation is very serious in Blue Nile,” he said. “Some 4,000 people are being evacuated from the city” by the Sudanese army.
To contact the reporter on this story: Salma El Wardany in Khartoum atselwardany@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net.
Sudan army attacks SPLA forces and governor’s residence in Blue Nile: SPLM-N
Sudan Tribune: September 2, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – Forces of the Sudanese government on Friday attacked the the residence of the Blue Nile state governor, who is also chairman of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N), Malik Agar.
Malik Agar, head of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) speaks during a joint news conference with SPLM north’s secretary general (Reuters)
According to Yasir Arman, SPLM-N’s secretary-general, Sudan’s army (SAF) launched a military offensive at midnight Friday targeting the SPLM’s Joint Integrated Units under the command of Jondi Suliyman and the house of Agar in the state capital Al-Damazin.
Arman told Sudan Tribune that in the past four days the Sudanese government had deployed reinforcements consisting of one infantry brigade, 12 tanks and 40 armed vehicles into the area.
“This debunks the deceptive ceasefire announced by Al-Bashir in South Kordofan because it was declared in order to prepare for an attack against Al-Damazin,” Arman said.
He further warned that the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) would be held accountable for attacking the house of “the elected governor” and the “atrocities they are committing against the civilian population” as well as the SPLM-N’s membership in the two areas.
“We wish to assure SPLM-N’s supporters and members of the general public that Malik Aggar is safe,” Arman said, promising to give more details on the events taking place in the Blue Nile within the next few days.
Arman did not explain what triggered the fighting and there was no confirmation of the attacks from independent sources.
In a phone interview with Bloomberg, Agar said the attack happened after three vehicles used by the SPLA were shot at by Sudanese soldiers while approaching the southern part of Al-Damazin.
“When our forces shot back at them, they just heavily bombarded my house and all sites of the SPLA in the capital,” Agar said.
Sudan official news agency (SUNA) carried statements by SAF saying it has been attacked by the SPLA.
Al-Sawarmi Khaled told SUNA that the SPLA started the attacked. He further said they have long expected this move because Agar was mobilizing his troops during the past period. He further said the this attack aims to alleviate pressure on SPLA troops under the command of Abdel-Aziz al-Hilu in South Kordofan.
Agar also spoke to SUNA about “skirmishes” between the commander of the joint integrated units and the Sudanese army at the gates of Al-Damazin.
He further confirmed that the fighting is taking place now in all the state between the two forces.
The eruption of war in Blue Nile with heavily armed SPLA units could put the entire Sudan at risk of a full scale war. The government in Khartoum has been engaged in clashes with SPLA forces in South Kordofan since last June.
SPLM-N has blamed the government for fighting in South Kordofan saying that Sudan’s army was seeking to disarm its fighters by force.
Last May, SAF sent a letter to SPLA saying that its forces in the two states must disarm by June 1st or deploy to what is now the new country of South Sudan.
But the SPLA responded by saying that the units are composed of northern soldiers, therefore withdrawing South is not an option.
The Blue Nile’s governor told the New York Times (NYT) at the time that SAF has moved “dangerously close” to the bases of SPLA fighters and that he did not think the southern-allied forces would surrender.
“It’s like putting a cat in a corner,” Agar said. “They will fight.”
(ST)