SPLA & SAF exchange accusations

South Sudan
November 2, 2011 (Miraya FM)

The SPLA says militia trained by the Khartoum government are the perpertrators of  the October 28th attack in Mayom County whick killed eleven civilians and wounded 60 others. 

Addressing the media during the weekly media forum the spokesperson of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) Philip Aguer said on the 27th October 2011 militia trained by the Khartoum government left Southern Kordofan and attacked Mayom County in Unity State on the 28th. He also reported that on top of the civilian deaths, 10 SPLA soldiers, 4 police officers, and 32 militia men were killed in the fightings.

On his part the minister of information, Dr. Benjiam Marial said there is evidence to prove that the Khartoum government is training these militias and infiltrating them into South Sudan territory despite their rebuttal of these facts.

"Today there are people who were part of the militia groups and have taken the amnesty given by the President of the Republic with us here; they can testify to you that they were trained by Khartoum", stressed Dr. Marial.

On Abyei, the minister reiterated the position of the government that the SPLA soldiers withdrew completely from Abyei as per the agreement signed with the African Unoin (AU) and witnessed by the UN Security Council. He said as per this agreement both the SAF and SPLA were supposed to withdraw from Abyei paving way for the deployment of the African Union forces (Ethiopian Forces). However SAF still occupies Abyei while the Khartoum government is delaying the deployment of the African Union peace keepers.

Meanwhile the Undersecretary of the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, Rahma-tallah Mohammed Osman, has said during his meeting with the United Nations Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, Herve Ladsous, that unless a monitoring mechanism that includes the UN and the two parties is formed, it will not withdraw its forces from Abyei.

Osman added that the Sudanese government has formally submitted its withdrawal conditions to the UN.

Moreover the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has denied accusation by GOSS that it is supporting rebels in South Sudan.

Speaking to Radio Miraya, the Spokesman of the SAF, Swarmi Khalid Saad, said that border areas are stable.

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