Raila, Kibaki called in to avert Sudan-South Sudan war
By PETER LEFTIE pmutibo@ke.nationmedia.com
IN SUMMARY
- Top-level southern delegation meets Kenyan leaders and asks for help to prevent an outbreak of fighting
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yiBRykGQU0&w=550&h=349]
Southern Sudan minister for information and Broadcasting and government spokesman Barnaba Marial Benjamin addresses the press on April 2, 2012 at Serena. He said that his country cannot go to war but there is need to protect their territory. Photo/JENNIFER MUIRURI
South Sudan sent a high-level delegation to Nairobi led by Office of the President minister Emmanuel Lowilla and the Information minister, Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin, to ask the two principals to help avert an outbreak of full-scale war between Juba and Khartoum.
“Our president, General Salva Kiir Mayardit, has made it very clear that he will never take the people of South Sudan into war again but we will defend our territorial integrity to the last man,” Dr Benjamin told a press conference in Nairobi after meeting the two principals.
He accused Khartoum of conducting sustained aerial and ground bombings of villages and oil fields in South Sudan territory over the last four days.
“At 2am yesterday (Monday), the Sudan army bombed a small village 120 kilometres inside South Sudan. It is where the oil fields are located. Their aim is to scare away investors who want to help us set up oil refineries in the area. Sudan is not interested in peace,” he said.
He added that the bombing was aimed at scuttling Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir’s planned visit to Juba today to sign two framework agreements on nationality and borders.
But the Sudan media reported that Mr Bashir had called off the trip after South Sudan forces launched attacks inside Sudan’s border state of South Kordofan in Teludi and the oil-rich town of Heglig.
The reports quoted security sources who claimed that bloody clashes had erupted six kilometres from Heglig, which led to “significant injuries” among Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers.
The SAF spokesperson, Colonel Sawarmi Khalid Sa’ad, accused South Sudan’s People Liberation Army (SPLA) of carrying out a fresh incursion in the Teshwin area of Heglig, according to the Sudan Tribune. Col Sa’ad said SAF dealt swiftly with the “aggressors”.
Khartoum accuses SPLA of collaborating with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) and rebels from the Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) to attack the two towns in a bid to control it.
A statement from Mr Odinga’s office said the PM had assured the South Sudanese delegation of Kenya’s willingness to broker peace between the two nations.
Mr Odinga is said to have told the delegation that Kenya was deeply concerned about the escalating hostilities between the two nations and would do whatever it takes to ensure the contentious issues between them are resolved without resorting to war again.
“The PM said Kenya is concerned that another full-scale war between Juba and Khartoum would pose immense security and humanitarian challenges to the region which is struggling to contain insurgents from Somalia and is yet to overcome the drought and refugee problems in the Horn of Africa,” says the statement.
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