The Wall Street Journal
written by Nicholas Bariyo
Wednesday October 10, 2012
KAMPALA—Fighting between Sudanese government forces and rebels formerly allied to South Sudan escalated Wednesday, raising fears that a fragile accord between the two countries could come under renewed pressure.
Sudanese air force and ground troops attacked positions held by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North after the insurgents started shelling Kadugli, the capital city of Sudan's main oil-producing region. The barrage, which began Monday, has left at least five civilians dead.
Sudan has been battling the SPLM-North since before South Sudan's secession and independence last year, but the attacks on Kadugli represent a new phase in what has so far been a localized conflict. Although the rebels fought alongside the South Sudan's army during the two-decade civil war with Sudan, South Sudan is adamant that it has since severed ties with the rebels despite Khartoum's accusations that it lends them continued support.
"Our military has just repelled a rebel attack on Kadugli…an offensive is continuing to dislodge these rebels from our territory" said Rabie Abdelaty, Sudan's government spokesman.
A rebel spokesman hit back, saying the rebels are fighting in "self-defense," following days of a Sudanese army offensive. Both sides accuse the other of violating a cease-fire pact signed last month supposed to allow for the resumption of humanitarian aid.
The latest fighting also underscores the fragile security situation along the two Sudans' oil-rich common border. Under international pressure, the erstwhile foes last month agreed to a wide-ranging pact, including to secure their borders and to allow landlocked South Sudan to transport its crude through its northern neighbor.
While the border deal is supposed to pave the way for up to 350,000 barrels-a-day of crude exports to resume in the next three to six month, the protracted skirmishes are trying Khartoum's patience.
The presence of SPLM-N rebels in the border states of South Kordofan—whose oil fields account for the bulk of Sudan's 115,000 barrels-a-day output—and Blue Nile was a major sticking point during last month's negotiations. Sudan postponed the endorsement of the oil-transit deal with South Sudan several times, demanding that Juba end its support to the rebels.
Among the several deals signed late last month included an agreement requiring the two neighbors to renounce war and to implement all the security arrangements reached in previous negotiations, according to the African Union. These include agreements relating to the ending of support to proxy rebels against each other as well as the immediate withdrawal of any forces to create a buffer zone along the common border.
Barnaba Benjamin, South Sudan's information minister, disassociated his country from any role in the most recent fighting.
"Those are Sudan's internal problems which they have to deal with on their own" Mr. Benjamin said, adding that South Sudan is continuing preparations to resume oil output and is ready to "adhere" to the provisions of all the deals signed last month.
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AFP
written by Abdelmoneim Abu Edris Ali
Thursday October 18, 2012
KHARTOUM — Sudan's parliament on Wednesday approved almost unanimously deals with South Sudan on oil and security that the two countries' presidents have hailed as ending their conflict.
"After discussion by the MPs, the general feeling of the assembly is to agree to those deals," parliament speaker Ahmed Ibrahim al-Tahir told deputies just before the vote.
Roughly half of the chamber's 350 MPs were present for the ballot, and only two of them voted against the agreements.
The late-September deals, signed by Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir, came after the neighbours fought along their undemarcated frontier in March and April, sparking fears of wider war.
A UN Security Council resolution ordered a ceasefire and the settlement of crucial unresolved issues, under African Union mediation.
"We received a positive reaction from the international community expecting our signature on the agreement, and they believe we are a responsible state that is looking out for the benefits of its people," Foreign Minister Ali Karti told legislators.
He criticised Sudanese press criticism of the deals.
The South's government halted oil production in January after accusing Khartoum of theft in a long-running dispute over how much the impoverished government in Juba should pay for sending its oil through northern infrastructure for export.
The deals signed last month included agreements to ensure the resumption of oil exports, as well as progress on a financial package of about $3 billion that South Sudan offered Khartoum.
The package is compensation for the economically damaging loss of most of Sudan's oilfields when South Sudan separated in July last year.
They also reached a key agreement on a demilitarised border buffer zone, where troops must withdraw 10 kilometres (six miles) from the de facto line of control along the undemarcated frontier.
The zone aims to cut support for rebels which Sudan says are backed by South Sudan in the northern states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
A 22-year north-south civil war led to a 2005 peace deal and South Sudan's independence, but tensions over oil and other issues lingered.
At the signing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Kiir said the overall agreement with Sudan "brings to an end the long conflict between our two countries."
Bashir said he would "seize the historic opportunity and journey towards building peace." [LOL! Bashir does not know what "peace" is... Bashir ONLY KNOWS WAR, MURDER, DESTRUCTION! Sadistic SOB. emphasis mine)]
However, the leaders failed to strike a deal on the flashpoint region of Abyei as well as other contested border areas. Outstanding issues are to be addressed in future rounds of talks, officials have said.
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