South Kordofan governor clears UN of providing support to SPLM-N

Khartoum
November 20, 2011 (Sudan Tribune)

The governor of South Kordofan, Ahmed Haroun, said that the United Nations is not involved in providing support to the fighters of the Sudan People Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) in the state.

Haroun was quoted by Sudan official news agency (SUNA) as saying that they found no proof that a UN plane held in the region recently was carrying any aid to SPLM-N.

The governor said the plane was simply carrying items belonging to the disbanded UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and that the flight was authorised.

But he pointed fingers at an unspecified country saying it is backing rebels through South Sudan.

Haroun claimed that the ninth and tenth divisions leading rebellion in South Kordofan and Blue Nile are still part of the SPLA in South Sudan adding that they are receiving arms as well as salaries from the neighbouring country.

He also said that the recent attack on Teludi was conducted with the participation of soldiers from South Sudan along with crews of armored vehicles provided by the SPLA.

South Sudan seceded from the north last July in accordance with the referendum results which showed an overwhelming desire by southerners to establish their own nation.

The Sudanese army has been fighting the SPLM-N rebels in South Kordofan since June and in Blue Nile since September. Khartoum accused the rebels of provoking the fighting while SPLM-N claimed that SAF wanted to forcibly disarm them.

In South Kordofan, the battles erupted not long after Haroun was declared winner in gubernatorial elections against SPLM-N candidate Abdel-Azia al-Hilu. The latter alleged fraud and refused to recognize the results. He is currently leading SPLM-N fighters in the state.

Governor Haroun is one of three individuals from the government side named by the International Criminal Court (ICC) as having masterminded war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur region. The Sudanese President Omer Hassan al-Bashir is also wanted for genocide in Darfur.

Since the fighting started, Khartoum accused Juba of providing military aid to the SPLM-N and as such lodged two complaints so far this year with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) protesting this.

South Sudan on the other hand, accused Khartoum of supporting rebels in the country who carried arms against the central government in Juba.

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