UN Security Council voices alarm after Sudan-South Sudan border clashes

[News_Editor]

UN Security Council voices alarm after Sudan-South Sudan border clashes

2012-03-28 19:27:24 GMT+7 (ICT)

GENEVA/NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- The members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council on Tuesday said they are 'deeply alarmed' after fresh military clashes broke out in the border region between Sudan and South Sudan.

In a statement, UN Security Council President Mark Lyall-Grant said the clashes threaten to precipitate a resumption of conflict between the two countries, worsen the humanitarian situation, and lead to further civilian casualties.

"The members of the Security Council call upon the governments of Sudan and South Sudan to exercise maximum restraint and sustain purposeful dialogue in order to address peacefully the issues that are fueling the mistrust between the two countries, including oil issues, violence in the border region, citizenship, and Abyei," Lyall-Grant said on behalf of the Council members.

Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), also expressed concern after clashes were reported between the national armies of Sudan and South Sudan in Lake Jau and other border areas.

UNHCR also voiced concern over recurring fighting near the Yida refugee settlement in South Sudan, close to the border with Sudan, saying the clashes are putting the residents of the camp at risk. More than 16,000 refugees have settled at the camp after fleeing violence in the Nuba Mountains region which is located in Sudan's Southern Kordofan state.

Despite being settled in a dangerous zone, most refugee leaders have preferred staying in Yida rather than the Nuba Mountains region.

"We cannot ignore the fact that Yida is near a heavily militarized zone with recurrent fighting and bombing," said Fleming. Yida came under an aerial attack in November 2011, causing refugees to flee into the bush. A month later, artillery shells fell close to the camp.

Lyall-Grant, who holds the Council's presidency this month, stated that the members of the Security Council have called upon Sudan and South Sudan to respect the February 10 letter and spirit of their Memorandum of Understanding on Non-Aggression and Cooperation.

"They urge both countries to utilize the upcoming session of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism to defuse tensions along the border and take appropriate steps to operationalize the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism," Lyall-Grant said.

The issues have fueled mistrust between the two countries, including differences over oil, violence in the border region, citizenship and the dispute over the Abyei area, the Council noted, calling for dialogue to peacefully address the issues.

The 15-member United Nations body also recalled the statement issued by the President of the Council on March 6, reiterating members' grave concern about reports of repeated incidents of cross-border violence, including troop movements, support to proxy forces and aerial bombardments.

Members of the Council demanded that all parties cease military operations in the border areas and put an end to the cycle of violence. They also demanded that both governments take no action that would undermine the security and stability of the other, including through any direct or indirect form of support to armed groups in the other's territory.

In addition, the members of the Security Council condemned actions by any armed group aimed at the forced overthrow of the government of either Sudan or South Sudan, underlining their strong commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Sudan and South Sudan.

The Council reiterated the grave urgency of delivering humanitarian aid, in accordance with international law, including applicable international humanitarian law, and guiding principles of emergency humanitarian assistance, to avert a worsening of the serious crisis in the Sudanese states of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Some 2,300 refugees have so far moved southwards to safer sites in Nyeel and Pariang, where UNHCR is providing them with food, water, shelter, sanitation and health care. Refugee leaders also agreed to the relocation of children, recognizing their need for safety and formal education.

About 1,500 secondary school students have registered to attend school in Pariang. Some 450 local and refugee children are attending primary school together in Nyeel, where the authorities have provided land for cultivation. Seeds and tools have been distributed to refugee families for farming.

Meanwhile, in South Sudan's Upper Nile state, where an influx of refugees from Sudan's Blue Nile state is continuing, relocation from border zones has been ongoing. About 86,000 Sudanese refugees fleeing attacks in Blue Nile state have relocated to the safety of formal sites in Doro and Jammam.

In total, more than 105,000 Sudanese refugees from the states of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile have sought refuge South Sudan. Another 30,000 refugees fled Blue Nile into Ethiopia.

South Sudan currently hosts the peacekeeping operation known as the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), which is helping to consolidate peace and security and establish conditions for development there following the country's independence from Sudan in July 2011.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-03-28

[Steely Dan]

It looks like the North Sudanese government is continuing it's policy of religion based ethnic cleansing. Christians have been given till April 8th to leave. I guess this is a tribal problem and it is just pure coincidence that the tribes involved have different religions.

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.11681/pub_detail.asp

The Sudanese regime is on its way to becoming the next Iran, regardless of whether President Omar Bashir remains in power or not. The country is moving towards becoming a full-blown Sharia state, comparable to Iran, Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan under the Taliban. Towards that end, 500-700,000 Christians have been told to pack up and leave by April 8 or they’ll be treated as foreigners.

P.S Meanwhile Boko Haram the Nigerian Islamists made a similar declaration telling Christians to leave northern Nigeria.

Edited March 29, 2012 by Steely Dan

[folium]

It looks like the North Sudanese government is continuing it's policy of religion based ethnic cleansing. Christians have been given till April 8th to leave. I guess this is a tribal problem and it is just pure coincidence that the tribes involved have different religions.

http://www.familysec.../pub_detail.asp

The Sudanese regime is on its way to becoming the next Iran, regardless of whether President Omar Bashir remains in power or not. The country is moving towards becoming a full-blown Sharia state, comparable to Iran, Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan under the Taliban. Towards that end, 500-700,000 Christians have been told to pack up and leave by April 8 or they’ll be treated as foreigners.

P.S Meanwhile Boko Haram the Nigerian Islamists made a similar declaration telling Christians to leave northern Nigeria.

Check out this re the Sudan to give you an insight into the ethnic/resource/development factors that make Sudan a lot more than just a story of muslim/non-muslim conflict.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12115013

The conflicts in the Sudan boil down to ethnicity being paramount. The Sudanese civil wars (1955-72) & (1983-2005) were between Arab northern government troops and the SPLA (a largely Dinka insurgent force). Yes the former are largely muslim and the latter largely animist/Christian but is it is ethnicity that is key. Side fact: the SPLA were extensive users of child soldiers (approx 25,000) throughout the conflict.

This is underlined in the more recent conflict in Darfur (2003-today) between the government (ethnically Arab) forces and the JEM and SLM insurgents largely drawn from Fur and Zaghawa ethnic groups. Here both sides are Muslim so I'm afraid drives home the point that ethnicity is paramount to the policies of the Khartoum government and religion of secondary importance.

Khartoum's actions have been labelled "Arab Apartheid" as they focus on ethnicity (and hence race/colour) more than just religion.

This expulsion of southern ethnic people was threatened in January 2011 at the time of the referendum that saw the creation of South Sudan as a separate country. This secession is a blow to Sudan as it not only removes ownership of 75% of its oil resources but also broke up Africa's largest country (a fact of great pride to Khartoum).

Such a vindictive move is being recast as a religious move by some organizations (hence your quote from the catholic website), while in fact it is just an extension of the ethnic-driven policy that has dominated Khartoum's policy-making. True and brutal ethnic-cleansing.

http://www.enoughproject.org/blogs/sudanese-citizenship-khartoum-egregious-violations-international-law

[Steely Dan]

Tribal conflicts are savage, and if religion is also involved this is the icing on the cake. The colonial map making which carved up Africa and the Middle East took no account of either race or religion so in the post colonial era there were many potential powder kegs. Africa indeed is blighted by a large area where Christianity and Islam overlap, this fault line extends through Nigeria too and is possibly a reason why sub-Saharan Africans working in Libya were persecuted after Gaddafi was overthrown. It is also reasonable to speculate that religion may have been adopted en mass within given tribes thus giving another excuse for hostility.

I predict Nigeria will have to be split like Sudan was in the fullness of time.

[folium]

Tribal conflicts are savage, and if religion is also involved this is the icing on the cake. The colonial map making which carved up Africa and the Middle East took no account of either race or religion so in the post colonial era there were many potential powder kegs. Africa indeed is blighted by a large area where Christianity and Islam overlap, this fault line extends through Nigeria too and is possibly a reason why sub-Saharan Africans working in Libya were persecuted after Gaddafi was overthrown. It is also reasonable to speculate that religion may have been adopted en mass within given tribes thus giving another excuse for hostility.

I predict Nigeria will have to be split like Sudan was in the fullness of time.

Unlikely. While the boundaries drawn up at the Berlin Conference in 1884 have caused endless problems since, one of the enduring features of post-colonial Africa has been a desire, reinforced by the AU, to maintain existing boundaries to avoid opening a literal Pandora's box.

The splitting off of Eritrea in 1993 (which reversed a post WW2 annexation of the Italian colony by Ethiopia, thus restoring the 1884 status quo) and the secession of South Sudan in 2011 are the only 2 incidents of boundaries being redrawn.

Nigeria fought a bitter war in the late 1960's to prevent secession by Biafra. Congo similarly fought to retain control of Katanga in the 1960's etc, etc

If boundaries get redrawn Africa would swiftly collapse into total mayhem, and make the activities of Boko Haram look like a walk in the park.

[folium]

It looks like the North Sudanese government is continuing it's policy of religion based ethnic cleansing. Christians have been given till April 8th to leave. I guess this is a tribal problem and it is just pure coincidence that the tribes involved have different religions.

http://www.familysec.../pub_detail.asp

The Sudanese regime is on its way to becoming the next Iran, regardless of whether President Omar Bashir remains in power or not. The country is moving towards becoming a full-blown Sharia state, comparable to Iran, Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan under the Taliban. Towards that end, 500-700,000 Christians have been told to pack up and leave by April 8 or they’ll be treated as foreigners.

P.S Meanwhile Boko Haram the Nigerian Islamists made a similar declaration telling Christians to leave northern Nigeria.

Looks like being tough on South Sudan is not restricted to Muslim governments.

See below for a piece from The Times Of Israel on the amazingly short-sighted decision to deport South Sudanese (mainly animist & Christian) refugees (albeit on a smaller scale) by Israel.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/thats-not-what-you-do-to-a-friend/

[Steely Dan]

It looks like the North Sudanese government is continuing it's policy of religion based ethnic cleansing. Christians have been given till April 8th to leave. I guess this is a tribal problem and it is just pure coincidence that the tribes involved have different religions.

http://www.familysec.../pub_detail.asp

The Sudanese regime is on its way to becoming the next Iran, regardless of whether President Omar Bashir remains in power or not. The country is moving towards becoming a full-blown Sharia state, comparable to Iran, Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan under the Taliban. Towards that end, 500-700,000 Christians have been told to pack up and leave by April 8 or they’ll be treated as foreigners.

P.S Meanwhile Boko Haram the Nigerian Islamists made a similar declaration telling Christians to leave northern Nigeria.

Looks like being tough on South Sudan is not restricted to Muslim governments.

See below for a piece from The Times Of Israel on the amazingly short-sighted decision to deport South Sudanese (mainly animist & Christian) refugees (albeit on a smaller scale) by Israel.

http://www.timesofis...do-to-a-friend/

I would agree with you based on the link provided, but to comment further would only lead off topic. I do know there are plans to try and route South Sudanese oil through Kenya, but that would still leave the small problem of the Somali coast.

http://oilprice.com/...ternatives.html

This could indeed turn into another powder keg involving Sino-U.S relations.

Edited March 29, 2012 by Steely Dan

[Scott]

Topic continues here:

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