UN condemns harassment of peacekeepers in Sudan's Southern Kordofan

[News_Editor]

UN condemns harassment of peacekeepers in Sudan's Southern Kordofan

2011-06-18 09:33:14 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations on Friday strongly condemned the harassment to which its peacekeepers are being subjected by northern Sudanese Armed Forces in Southern Kordofan state.

The agency said four UN peacekeepers were on patrol in the state capital Kadugli when they were detained and abused by members of the northern army known as the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

"The SAF, the Southern Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), and other armed groups must immediately stop intimidating and harassing UN staff, who are critical to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance to the vulnerable populations," said UN spokesperson Martin Nesirky.

Southern Kordofan has been marred with fighting between the northern and southern armies in recent weeks, killing an unknown number of people. The security and humanitarian situation in the state is very serious due to the continuing clashes and military build-up, added Nesirky.

Also on Friday, six shells fired by SAF landed 150 meters (164 yards) away from a base of the UN peacekeeping Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) in Agok, in the other Sudanese disputed area of Abyei.

"We are in the process of verifying the details, as the SAF is claiming the shelling was part of an exercise, while the SPLA is stating that the SAF shelling was targeting SPLA positions and intimidating the local population around Agok," said the UN spokesperson.

The situation in Abyei remains tense and volatile one month after fighting between SAF and SPLA resulted in the displacement of nearly 113,000 people, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

On Thursday, a UNMIS team and two members of the United Kingdom and United States consulates in Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan, were briefly detained by Sudan police. They were released and returned to Malakal in Upper Nile state without any harm.

The UN team was detained after landing in Magennes, a contested area along the border of Upper Nile and Southern Kordofan states. The Sudanese government claimed that the flight did not have the requisite landing authorization, although UNMIS was cleared to fly by the Government of Southern Sudan in Juba.

Earlier this year, millions of Southern Sudan residents voted in favor of separating from the rest of the African nation. The referendum was seen as the culminating point of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which officially ended the long north-south civil war in Sudan, although the conflict has been ongoing.

However, violence erupted after the referendum on Abyei's status never took place amidst disagreements on voter eligibility. The north and south continue disputing over of the conflicted area. The most recent clashes between SAF and SPLA were reported near the Banton Bridge.

More than two million people, most of them civilians who died due to starvation and drought, were killed during the Second Sudanese Civil War between 1983 and 2005. Under the CPA, the SPLA became the official army of South Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) the ruling party.

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