May 18, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, has promised to verify the information given to him by the Sudanese foreign minister, Ali Karti, on claims of continued support offered by several bodies within his government to Sudanese rebel groups in Darfur and Kordofan states.
Last week, Sudan’s national intelligence and security services (NISS) accused the South Sudanese government of continuing to support the rebel groups in spite of the normalisation process launched last March.
On Wednesday, Sudanese first vice-president Ali Osman Taha said that some circles within the Juba government support rebel groups. He added that they want to implement the strategy of the "New Sudan" irrespective of whether the governing party in Khartoum is the National Congress Party (NCP) or another party.
Sudan’s foreign minister who visited Juba on Friday accompanied by NISS director, Mohamed Atta, delivered a letter from the Sudanese president to his southern counterpart containing information and documents proving logistical and military support received by rebel groups across the border.
According to the Sudanese official news agency (SUNA), president Kiir has promised to consider and verify the information and stressed that his country had no desire to harm Sudan’s interests, reiterating commitment to security agreements signed between the two countries.
In September of last year, the two ex-foes signed a series of cooperation agreements which covered oil, citizenship rights, security issues, banking, and border trade among others.
After several months of an apparent setback, the two countries signed an implementation matrix last March for these cooperation agreements.
President Kiir further said that he would discuss the issue with president Omer Al-Bashir on the sidelines of the African Union (AU) summit which will be held in Addis Ababa late this month.
Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebels recently attacked several areas in South and North Kordofan. They said these attacks are part of their war of attrition against the regime before to assault the capital Khartoum.
Yasir Arman, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) secretary general called on the opposition parties to agree with the SRF on a national program for the post-Bashir era asserting that popular uprising will accelerate the collapse of the regime.
May 17, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese authorities have officially began implementing the directives of 1st Vice President Ali Osman Taha to lift direct pre-publication censorship on newspapers.
Taha disclosed his orders on Wednesday which he said were effective immediately but officers from Sudan’s National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) banned newspapers from publishing this portion of the VP’s remarks.
The Sudanese National Council for Press and Publications today welcomed the government’s decision and noted that they are understanding of the circumstances that prompted the imposition of censorship in the past.
The pro-government body said that Khartoum wanted to prevent the publication of items affecting the country’s security and movement of the army in operations and conflict zones which has the potential of weakening the internal front and providing a platform for hostile forces to exploit the press through disseminating disincentives and misinformation that would have a negative impact on public opinion.
"But in spite of all that the Council has always advocated lifting of pre-publication censorship on the press in accordance with the principle of freedom of expression and press freedom within the framework of social responsibility and betting on the ability of the journalism community to strike the required balance between freedom and responsibility" the statement said.
Pre-publication press censorship in Sudan has been on and off over the last few years and allowed NISS agents to direct items that cannot be published in newspapers or even decide what makes it to the front page.
Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir in the past has expressed uneasiness over lifting censorship and warned newspapers not to cross what he described as "red lines".
In an interview last year the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera TV, Bashir said that he will not allow newspapers to publish item deemed insulting to the army and defended closures of some at the hands of the NISS.
“If we look at the two newspapers closed down there were objective reasons for security organs to intervene and shut down these newspapers” Bashir said.
“We are now fighting and we have an army battling. Any [negative] comments on the spirits of the armed forces or attacking the armed forces or endangering national security; no state accepts prejudice to its national security,” he added.
Last year Sudan shut down three newspapers including the independent al-Tayar newspaper and two Islamist newspapers - Alwan and al-Rai al-Shaab.
In 2010 Sudan suspended the broadcasts of the BBC Arabic on FM radio and also revoked license of Monte Carlo, the Arabic service of Radio France Internationale (RFI) which also used FM airwaves in Sudan.
Last month, Sudanese authorities forced the Editor-in-chief of Al-Sahafa daily newspaper Al-Nur Ahmed Al-Nur to resign without providing any reasons. They warned that if he does not comply they will shut down the entire newspaper.
May 16, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The governor of Khartoum, Abdel-Rahman al-Khidir, asserted today that the Sudanese capital is safe amid growing concern among officials and residents of an imminent attack by rebels from the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF).
“Sleep [feeling] safe and feel secure”, al-Khidir said in a message to Khartoum residents while also warning rebels that the army will not wait for them until they reach Khartoum but will preempt and bring the battle behind their lines.
The governor, who was addressing the "Strategic Brigade" of Popular Police in Khartoum, affirmed the readiness of the army and other forces to defend the capital.
He also emphasized that the government assumed power through elections and would only abandon it through elections and not by "force, vandalism, intimidation of peaceful people, and destruction of civilian facilities".
At the same event, the director of Khartoum police Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Hafez Hassan Attia stressed that his forces are ready to defend the capital recalling its heroic role during attack on the twin capital of Omdurman carried out by the Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
In 2008, JEM launched a surprise attack on Omdurman, on the West of the Nile from Sudan’s capital Khartoum. It was repulsed but caused shockwaves throughout the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF).
Last week, Sudan’s national parliament speaker Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Tahir, was quoted as saying “[They] won’t be able to attack Khartoum; however, if they dared to do so, their fate would be much worse than Khalil [leader of Darfur Justice and Equality Movement]”.
Following rumors in the Sudanese media that rebels were preparing to invade Dongola, in the north of the country last week, the SRF Chief of Staff Abd al-Aziz Al-Hilu, said in an interview with Radio Dabanga that it is “not impossible” for his forces to enter Khartoum, Omdurman or Port Sudan.
Al-Hilu further said that the SRF “has legitimate rights” to move freely within the country’s territory, considering that its members are Sudanese nationals.
“If the NCP [ruling National Congress Party] troops can go to different places and wage war and attack civilians, we can follow them. Why did they go to Kadugli, Al Buram, Teludi? We have the same rights,” he asserted.
On Tuesday, the US embassy in Khartoum issued a security warning saying that it is "temporarily prohibiting all discretionary travel of U.S. Government employees and their family members to Omdurman because of recent increased security threats".
The embassy did not offer any specifics on the nature of the threat it was referring to.
In a rare attack late last month, SRF rebels swept through the city of Um Rawaba in North Kordofan, before withdrawing later on the same day.
In the past, fighting between the rebels and SAF has largely been limited to Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states bordering South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in 2011.
North Kordofan, which includes Um Rawaba and forms part of Sudan’s commercial heartland, is a hub for the country’s agriculture, livestock and gum Arabic industries.
The Sudanese army now has it eyes on reclaiming Abu-Kershola district in South Kordofan which was overrun by rebels during last month’s assault.
Officials in Khartoum say that they have completely surrounded the area and pledged not to stop until they recapture Kauda which is the stronghold of the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan.
May 15, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has disclosed it would undergo imminent changes within its institutions aiming at promoting youths to leadership positions.
The NCP’s head of the political sector who is also Sudan’s 2nd vice president, Al-Haj Adam Youssef, said at a news conference following his visit to the NCP’s youth secretariat that “leaders who are getting older should pave the way for young people wherever they are”,
Youssef called upon NCP’s youth to assume responsibility and get ready for the next phase stressing that these changes are driven by a strong will from its chairman and president of Sudan Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.
The NCP’s youth secretary, Abdel-Moniem al-Sunni, said that VP Youssef briefed them on the current political and security situation.
He pointed out that youths in all states have joined the Popular Defense Forces (PDF) in order to support the army in its current campaign against Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebels.
His deputy, Obeid Allah Mohammad, for his part, spoke of imminent changes within party’s institutions in favor of youth leaders but did not elaborate.
There has been growing rumblings for change within the NCP and particularly its younger members who complain that the leadership has grown too old and stagnant.
In 2011 the Sudanese president came under fire during a meeting with the NCP youth who complained about the growing level of corruption which had blighted the economy.
Bashir reportedly promised to form an anti-corruption commission and to increase the participation of youth in the party and government and to introduce changes that prevent NCP figures from serving more than two terms.
The Sudanese leader reiterated this year that he would not run for reelection in 2015 but NCP officials sought to downplay the announcement saying that the party will decide on its presidential candidate and suggested that they could force Bashir to run again.
May 14, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) disclosed that it had furnished senior officials in South Sudan including President Salva Kiir with detailed information on their government’s support to anti-Khartoum rebels prior to their recent attack in north and south Kordofan states.
The NCP’s spokesperson Yasser Yousef, who spoke following a meeting of the political sector, called on Juba and its army to stop aidong rebels in Sudan, stressing that maintaining good relations between the two countries is contingent upon implementation of the cooperation agreements, especially ones relating to refraining from supporting and harboring rebel groups.
Yousef, affirmed that information published by National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) yesterday on South Sudan’s government support for the rebels has been handed over to South Sudan’s leadership.
The NISS said that Juba provided rebels from Sudan revolutionary Front (SRF) with weapons, ammunition, vehicles, housing and medical care.
But South Sudan on Sunday dismissed these claims.
“There is no single truth in these allegations. The government of the Republic of South Sudan has always been clear on these unfounded allegations. We have said time and again that South Sudan does not provide any support to any rebel. We believe in peaceful coexistence with our neighbors,” said South Sudan information minister, Barnaba Marial.
Yousef, further renewed support for the armed forces, and called for negotiating with the rebels after defeating them militarily on the ground, saying “all Sudanese efforts must be combined to achieve that goal”.
He pointed out that President Kiir imminent visit to Khartoum is aimed at following up on the implementation of the cooperation agreements including maintaining secure borders and enabling functioning of verification mechanisms in order to disarm rebels and sever their relations with South Sudan.
President Kiir intends to visit Khartoum for the first time since October 2011 to witness delivery of the first oil shipment to international markets through Sudanese territory.
May 14, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir, has announced that Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Mujahideen (holy fighters) are “now” on the outskirts of Abu-Kershola in South Kordofan’s northeast and vowed to annihilate rebels of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF).
Al-Bashir, who was addressing the graduation ceremony of the 48th batch of the Change Generation Program sponsored by the Islamic Daawa Organization yesterday, pledged to decisively defeat SRF rebels whom he claimed to have killed innocent and defenseless people labeling such crimes as “terrorism” and contrary to all norms and conventions.
But SRF issued a statement today dismissing Bashir’s assertions and claimed to have repulsed SAF attack that was coming from three directions..
The spokesperson of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Gibreel Adam Bilal, said they repelled the attack and inflected heavy losses on the Sudanese troops.
A source told that Sudan’s Popular Defense Forces (PDF) incurred heavy losses at the outskirts of Abu-Kershola.
Observers in Khartoum have questioned why SAF has been unable to re-capture the district which has fallen in to rebel hands in late April. Around the same time, SRF rebels swept through the city of Um Rawaba in North Kordofan, before withdrawing later on the same day.
Earlier this month, officials in Khartoum said that they have Abu-Kershola completely surrounded and suggested that they will soon enter it.
The Sudanese leader also spoke of an international plot targeting Sudan and Iran and stressed Sudan’s ability to thwart it.
"Tribulations and hostile schemes against Sudan will continue. They will not leave us as long as we adhere to Islam and Jihad", stressing that the battles in Gaza and Sudan are ones against a common enemy.
Al-Bashir called upon the Sudanese people to fight racism and regional allegiances.
May 13, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - A former Darfur rebel faction announced on Sunday the death of its leader Mohamed Bashar and his deputy Suleiman Arko saying they were killed during an attack carried out by the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) inside the Chadian territory near the Sudanese border.
Bashar, who is a leader of a splinter JEM faction, was regaining Darfur from the Chadian capital before to head to Khartoum to start the implementation of a peace deal he signed with the government in Doha on 6 April.
Bashar’s adviser, Nahar Osman, told from inside the Chadian territory near the place of the incident that over 30 rebel vehicles attacked Bashar convoy in Pamina, 4 kilometers from the common border between the two countries.
He added that Bashar and his delegation were not escorted by any military force, only a Chadian security officer was accompanying him to the Sudanese border.
Reached to comment on these accusations, JEM spokesperson Gibreel Adam Bilal confirmed the "clashes with Bashar group" adding that their fighters repelled an attack by the splinter group.
Bilal said that Bashar forces attacked a base of their group not far from the border with Chad but another force stationing near the place of the attack surrounded the assailants and dealt with them.
Further, JEM military spokesperson Badawi Musa Al-Sakin released a short statement saying that Bashar group supported by Chadian four wheeled vehicles and weapons attacked them inside an area they control in the remote North Darfur.
Sakin added they "disarmed" the assailants from their weapons and ammunitions but did not mention the death of the dissident leader.
Nahar said ten people were killed in the attack: "We lost Bashar, Suleiman Arko and other five members. also were killed a Chadian security officer and two cattle keepers who were near the place of the attack. "
Arko was the deputy chairman and led the negotiating team during the peace talks with the Sudanese government.
The National Security and Intelligence Services (NISS) confirmed in a statement released in Khartoum on Sunday the killing of the former rebel leader and his deputy and accused JEM of seeking to topple the ongoing efforts to end the 10-year conflict.
The statement said the rebels who carried out the "terrorist crime" were led by three rebel commanders : Issa Al-Kuleib, Mahdi Hassab Allah, and Ibrahim Mahmoud.
The Chadian government did not yet comment on the incident.
Last April, JEM killed the deputy general commander of the breakaway faction Saleh Moahmed Jarbo following two-day clashes in the remote areas of Furawiyya in North Darfur.
Nahar reiterated that their group is committed to the peace process in spite of the attacks they suffered from their former comrades.
May 12, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government on Saturday accused South Sudan of providing support to rebels from the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) who have recently stepped up their attacks in multiple states across the country.
In a press release, the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) claimed that Juba provided rebels with "large numbers" of four-wheel drive cars that were recently handed to Sudan Liberation Movement of Minni Minnawi (SLM-MM) and Sudan People Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N).
The security apparatus went on to say that more vehicles are en route from South Sudan to SPLM-N and Darfur’s Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).
The SPLM-N, JEM, SLM-MM are among several groups that make up the SRF which has launched several attacks last month in north and south Kordofan states that took the government by surprise as it included areas that were in the past were believed to be beyond the reach of the rebel groups.
At the time, the spokesperson of Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), Colonel al-Sawarmi Khalid Sa’ad said that they have "no proof” linking South Sudan to the recent rebels’ offensive.
“South Sudan has no links to the recent assault on [North Kordofan town of] Um Rawaba”, he said.
Relations between Khartoum and Juba have dramatically improved following the deal inked last March between the two neighbors to implement cooperation agreements signed last year related to several disputed items such as oil.
Last month Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir paid a visit to Juba for the first time since the country’s partition into north and south in July 2011. It was believed to commence a new phase in relations that were by brinkmanship.
The NISS alleged that South Sudan supplied fuel, ammunition and training to rebels in several camps inside Unity state with the goal of launching new attacks inside Sudan.
According to the statement, South Sudan also availed military hospitals to receive the wounded Sudanese rebels and produced travel documents for a number of wounded rebels who were evacuated from South Kordofan and transferred to hospitals in unspecified African countries.
Juba also provided housing in Juba to host SRF field commanders and also furnished funds to SPLM-N and SLM-MM, the NISS said.
Sudan has routinely accused Juba of backing SRF and the SPLM-N which fought alongside the mainstream SPLM throughout the north-south civil war.
But South Sudan dismissed those allegations saying they had severed ties with SPLM-N a long time ago. The rebel group is fighting SAF since 2011 in the border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
The new accusations by Khartoum could prove troubling to regional and international players who have lauded the apparent thaw in ties between the two ex-foes.
This week South Sudan president Salva Kiir accused the Sudanese government of standing behind the assassination of Dinka Ngok chief in Kuol Deng Kuol in the disputed region of Abyei last weekend.
"It is the government of Sudan which killed the chief…I hold the government of Sudan, especially president Bashir himself responsible if he fails to produce criminals and ensure that they are tried by the independent and competent court of law" Kiir said.
South Sudan leader said that Khartoum wanted to undermine the Abyei referendum scheduled for October under the African Union (AU) plan which the Sudanese government has swiftly rejected.
May 12, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The High Committee for Mobilization and Alert at Khartoum’s locality headed by mayor Omar Nimir announced the inauguration of Popular Defense Forces (PDF) military training camps and the formation of a "strategic battalion" comprised of government officials to secure the locality.
According to the government-sponsored Sudanese Media Center (SMC), a meeting of the committee chaired by Nimir has agreed to establish two training camps on May 17 and a "closed" one for the officials who will participate in the training. The latter will accommodate 400 conscripts from the Sudan’s Islamic Movement (IM), ruling National Congress Party (NCP), youths, students, women, PDF, national service and ordinary citizens.
The mayor said that the decision to open the camps came against the backdrop of the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) recent offensive in South and North Kordofan states adding that they are also collecting relief for the civilian population affected by the recent attacks.
The Sudanese government has stepped up its mobilization campaign in wake of the surprise attack by SRF on areas that in the past were believed to be beyond the rebels’ reach. In the past, fighting between the rebels and Khartoum has largely been limited to Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states bordering South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in 2011.
This week the High Committee for Mobilization and Alert held a meeting with mosques’ imams to discuss the implications of the rebels’ offensive and to call for jihad (holy war).
Also on Wednesday Sudan’s national assembly decided to suspend its sessions for a week in order to enable MPs to travel to their constituencies and lead a mobilization campaign in support of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF).
Late last month, SRF rebels swept through the city of Um Rawaba in North Kordofan, before withdrawing later on the same day.
North Kordofan, which includes Um Rawaba and forms part of Sudan’s commercial heartland, is a hub for the country’s agriculture, livestock and gum Arabic industries.
SAF now has it eyes on reclaiming Abu-Kershola district in South Kordofan which was overrun by rebels during last month’s assault.
Officials in Khartoum say that they have completely surrounded the area and pledged not to stop until they recapture Kauda which is the stronghold of the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan.
May 10, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese army has agreed to boost salaries of soldiers and officers by 22% amid growing military activities against rebels in the country.
Last month the Sudanese defense minister Abdel-Rahim Mohamed Hussein complained to parliament that army salaries are low and do not encourage soldiers to make sacrifices.
Under the new pay adjustment, soldiers and officers will now receive 450 Sudanese pounds ($75) 600 ($100) respectively in what is known as "operations allowance".
The Sudanese army is now preparing for new offensive in South Kordofan to eject rebels of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) from Abu Kershola district in South Kordofan state.
A week ago, the SRF, which includes the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), along with several Darfur rebel groups, launched a major attack most notably in Um Rawaba, the second-largest town in North Kordofan state, during coordinated attacks on several nearby areas.
In the past, the rebels’ military activity was generally confined to the Darfur region, as well as the border states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile. The only exception was in 2008 when the Darfur Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) attacked Sudan’s twin capital of Omdurman.
The Sudanese government has began a mobilizing campaign to support the army and the Sudanese parliament suspended its activities next week to allow MP’s to head to their constituencies in order to rally youth behind the army.
May 9, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan’s National Assembly has decided to suspend its sessions next week in order to enable lawmakers to head to their constituencies and lead a mobilisation campaign in support of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in its ongoing battle with rebel groups which have stepped up their military activities in recent months.
The national assembly speaker, Ahmed Ibrahim al-Tahir directed MPs to go to their states and meet with the local governments in order to mobilise youth to support SAF.
"We want people to defend themselves and offer self-sacrifice” al-Tahir said.
He further asked MPs to implore upon their communities to increase humanitarian aid to those affected by the military conflict to eradicate the need for foreign aid.
"We want people to increase aid to displaced people; we are able to extend a helping hand to those affected" the speaker said.
In a rare attack last month, Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) rebels swept through the city of Um Rawaba in North Kordofan, before withdrawing later in the day.
Fighting between the rebels and SAF has previously been mainly limited to Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states bordering South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in 2011.
North Kordofan, the region that includes Um Rawaba and forms part of Sudan’s commercial heartland, is a hub for the country’s agriculture, livestock and gum Arabic industries.
Diplomats and analysts speaking to Reuters said the raid on North Kordofan’s second largest city appeared to be a bid to stretch Sudan’s army across an ever-changing line of battle in Sudan’s savannahs and scrublands, rather than an attempted land grab.
On Tuesday, Sudan’s presidential assistant and National Congress Party (NCP) deputy-chairman for the party’s affairs, Nafie Ali Nafie, threatened to mount a decisive battle against the rebels whom he described as traitors.
SAF now has it eyes on reclaiming Abu-Kershola district in South Kordofan which was overran by rebels during last month’s assault.
Officials in Khartoum say that they have completely surrounded the area and pledged not to stop until they recapture Kauda which is the stronghold of the rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) in South Kordofan.
SPEAKER BASHES REPORTERS
In a separate issue, reporters covering the parliament rejected accusations from al-Tahir that they are not seeking truth but serving personal agenda through attacking the legislative body and MPs.
On Wednesday, the speaker mocked reporters and described them as “junior reporters”, urging them to commit themselves to high moral and ethical standards.
The parliamentary reporters association, for its part, is planning to submit a memorandum to the speaker protesting the manner in which he addressed them.
The speaker, who was reportedly infuriated by an article criticising the work of the parliament and MPs published in a daily newspaper, said that the national assembly would monitor press for the purpose of correcting its course.
May 8, 2013 (JUBA) - South Sudan on Monday lodged a strongly worded complaint to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) over the killing of Abyei tribal leader Kuol Deng Kuol, warning that until the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice, it is no longer “business as usual”.
South Sudan’s minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, Nhial Deng Nhial, said his country takes the death of the paramount chief of the Dinka Ngok “seriously” and will not tolerate the case being taken lightly by the international community.
“We have started with clear procedures, legal steps. We have now officially filed and deposited our complaint about this brutal act which violates not only the international law but also humanitarian law. Chief Kuol Deng Kuol was not in combat; He was not carrying a gun; not in possession of any weapon. He was purely [an] unarmed civilian killed in the hands of the United Nations. His security and safety was in the hands of the United Nations”, Nhial said, while addressing thousands of mourners who turned out for Kuol’s burial on Monday in Abyei town.
CLEAR VIOLATIONS
South Sudan’s top diplomat said that in the course of the past week, his country has observed a higher number of atrocities being committed in the area by armed groups under the control of the Sudanese government, in what he said was not only a clear violation of the UNSC resolution 2046 but an act that must be condemned and confronted.
“The killing of [the] chief was not just an incident. It was preceded by reports of regular killings in the area. The list of those who have been killed has been filed and the United Nations has the details and we believe the killing of the chief will not be taken lightly nor [do] we expect the international community to consider [Kuol’s death] a normal thing or usual business … We hold the government of Sudan responsible because those who killed the chief are under the control of the government of Sudan. They are no stranger to Sudan”, he added.
Speaking at the same gathering, Pagan Amum, Secretary General of the governing Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), accused Sudan of “doing it again”, explaining that his country had immediately responded and pulled out all armed forces from border areas as required by the UNSC resolution 2046 and the African Union communiqué, but Sudan had failed to comply.
“This brutal act defines the behavior of the government of Sudan. They have done it again. The killing of the paramount chief of this community will have a lot of repercussions, especially on the relations between the Ngok Dinka and the Misseriya. It will have [an] effect on peaceful coexistence. The Misseriya seems [to] not know where their interest lies”, Amum told reporters in Abyei after flying in from Juba on Monday.
“The people of Abyei have suffered a lot in the hands of the government in Khartoum but they will one day be free whether those in Khartoum like it or not. Or whether it will rain blood and fire, they will exercise their right to decide their own destiny. I am confident they will be free. It is just a matter of time”, he added.
REFERENDUM SUPPORT
South Sudan’s deputy defence Minister, Majak D’Agoot, also expressed sadness over the attack and extended his condolences to the family members of those killed, stressing that the government was still committed to a planned referendum in October to decide the fate of Abyei.
South Sudan’s minister of cabinet affairs, Deng Alor Kuol, who comes from the area and is a close relative of the late paramount chief, said the government would use any avenue to pursue the case against those responsible.
Speaking to mourners at the burial, he explained that Ethiopian forces had “helplessly” tried to negotiate with the armed men after they demanded for the chief to be handed over to them.
“Nobody was armed in the convoy. When the convoy was about to leave they shot the chief and he died instantly. We will try to minimize any negative effects as a result of this incident [so as not] to impact negatively on the referendum,” said Alor.
The chairperson of South Sudan’s ruling party (SPLM) in Abyei, Edward Lino, broke down in tears on Sunday as he addressed the media, with those attending the press briefing also overcome by emotion.
“It happened. It has happened in Abyei. Our chief Kuol Adol is killed. I am sad, very sad. I think this is a simple issue, really do we want Abyei or not? If we want Abyei, we shall get it. Am 
annoyed, why? Because of the Misseriya, they think with all this time they can take away Abyei from the people of Abyei,” Lino said in an emotive speech to media.
PUBLIC ANGER
Meanwhile, thousands of people, including traditional leaders and members of civil society organisations, took the street on Tuesday, carrying placards and calling on the UNSC to live up to its obligations.
Demonstrators also accused Sudan of masterminding the killing of the tribal chief to sabotage the planned referendum.
“They did it. I know those in Khartoum one by one. I was there with them. I know how they do their things. We did not play with them during the war because we were dealing with big issues. Now that the big issue is gone, the people of South Sudan have gotten [their] independent country. It is time we turn to Abyei and ensure they are liberated”, Deng Macham Angui, the chairperson of the Traditional Leadership Council in South Sudan, said on Tuesday.
Angui led the crowd of demonstrators, some of whom began marching from Juba University, while another group started at South Sudan African Park in downtown Juba.
Although some demonstrators travelled in packed vehicles or on motorbikes, the vast majority marched on foot to the headquarters of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), where they presented a petition addressed to UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon.
Speaker after speaker accused Sudan of knowingly planning to kill the chief, saying his death will not stop the Abyei population from exercising their right to self-determination.
“The killing of the chief is not the solution. The National Congress Party (NCP) [think the] killing of our chief will deter the Ngok people. They are wrong. The killing has indeed given us more strength. It will unite us and [we] will get this land from them by any means, because it is ours”, Kuol Mijak Ajing a native of the Ngok Dinka tribe who was amongst demonstrators, said on Tuesday.
May 8, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party (NCP) approved a proposal on Tuesday aimed at amending its statute and extending the term of president Omer Hassan al-Bashir from four to five years.
NCP’s secretary of women’s affairs, Samia Ahmed Mohamed, told reporters in Khartoum that the proposal will be submitted to the Shura Council, the only organ entitled to amend the statute of the party.
Such amendment will mean the extension of Bashir’s leadership of the party for an additional year.
The ruling party is currently required to elect a new leader next year before the presidential election scheduled for May 2015.
The 68-year-old leader announced in March that he intends to step down in 2015, after rumours about his health following surgery operations on his vocal cords in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Mohamed stressed that the extension will be implemented with immediate effect.
However, she denied that the step would be an attempt to allow Bashir to run for another mandate.
Bashir, who ruled the country for 23 years, said in March that “Sudanese people are looking for fresh blood and a new impetus”.
The party is divided on the issue, with some factions loudly demanding reforms to the party and reunification with Islamists factions, including Hassan Al-Turabi’s popular Sudan Congress Party (SCP).
Last November, Sudanese security services arrested some radical Islamist military accused of organising a coup d’état against the regime.
May 8, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir expressed hope that his country would one day re-unite with the South given the things they have in common.
At a meeting with a delegation from the Supreme Council of South Sudan Muslims, Bashir emphasised that the neighbouring countries share a common destiny, culture and conscience.
The Sudanese president said that at the minimum he projects some form of confederation between the two countries, even if complete unity does not materialise.
He said that Sudan is seeking to re-establish cohesion between the two countries and will contribute to the development of South Sudan and will support education there for both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Bashir pointed out that the recently signed cooperation agreements between Khartoum and Juba will contribute significantly to the continued communication between the Sudans for the benefit of their peoples.
He stressed that the interaction and common interests between the citizens of the two countries did not stop even after separation, adding that the delegation’s visit will be the beginning of real cooperation between the two sides.
Both nations agreed in March to resume cross-border oil flows and defuse tensions that have plagued them since South Sudan’s independence in July 2011, following an agreement which ended decades of civil war.
However, the two countries have been unable to decide on the ownership of Abyei, which is inhabited by the Dinka tribe aligned with South Sudan and the Misseriya, an Arab tribe with close links to Sudan.
Nonetheless their relations have dramatically improved and last month Bashir paid his first visit to Juba since the country’s official partition.
May 7, 2013 (KHARTOUM) – The Ugandan government has banned Sudanese rebel movements of meeting in its territories arguing that such gatherings would negatively impact the country.
Sudan’s official news agency (SUNA) quoted an informed source at the Ugandan external security apparatus as saying that the rebel leaders were informed of this decision during a secret meeting on Monday which included Minni Minnawi of the Sudan Liberation Movement/Minnawi (SLM-M), Abdel-Wahid Mohamed Nur of the Sudan Liberation Movement/AW (SLA-AW), and Ayoub Mohamed of Darfur People’s Unity Movement.
The source said that the director of the Ugandan Security Services informed the rebel leaders that they should immediately refrain from holding any meetings in Kampala.
According to the source, the rebel leaders apologized for their "mistakes" and promised not to hold further meetings on Ugandan territory.
The source said that Kampala has been under pressure take this move, without providing further details.
Khartoum and Kampala have a long history of troubled relations over alleged support to rebel groups on both sides of their borders.
Kampala says that Khartoum is still providing support and refuge to the notorious Ugandan rebels, the Lord Resistance Army (LRA), even after South Sudan’s secession created a buffer zone between Sudan and Uganda.
Khartoum on the other hand says that Kampala has become a safe harbour for Sudanese rebel leaders.
Last January, Sudanese opposition parties and rebel groups signed a charter in Kampala known as the "New Dawn", putting their stated goal to topple the Khartoum government via different political and military means.
This has prompted Khartoum to lodge several complaints with the African Union (AU) and other regional blocs against Kampala saying the latter is supporting regime change in Sudan.
Last March, the speaker of the Sudan’s national assembly Ahmed Ibrahim al-Tahir said that the Sudanese government is working with forces in Uganda that are opposed to president Yoweri Museveni to bring about "positive political influence".
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