SUDAN: Tens of thousands displaced since signing of accord
Since the signing of the landmark Machakos Protocol on 20 July between the Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army, tens of thousands of people have been displaced by a government offensive in the area of the oil fields in western Upper Nile (Wahdah/Unity State).
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SUDAN: Tens of thousands displaced since signing of accord
NAIROBI, 16 August (IRIN) - Since the signing of the landmark Machakos Protocol on 20 July between the Sudanese government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army, tens of thousands of people have been displaced by a government offensive in the area of the oil fields in western Upper Nile (Wahdah/Unity State).
Speaking in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Thursday, John Prendergast of the advocacy body, International Crisis Group, told reporters that tens of thousands were now stranded on the border between western Upper Nile and Bahr al-Ghazal.
Since the signing of the accord, government forces had effectively opened up a "third front" on the western side of the oil fields in an effort to clear the area of civilians and secure control over it. Previously, most of the fighting had occurred on the eastern and northern sides of the oil areas.
From the government garrison of Mankien, the villages of Tam, Buoth, Kerial, Wicok and Rier had been attacked by forces loyal to the government, including the Arab mounted militias known as the Murahilin. Witnesses - members of the Nuer tribe - had consistently spoken of militia groups burning villages, stealing cattle, and sometimes women and children, he said. These were used as payment in kind for the militia groups, he added.
Fighting on the ground had been backed by Antonov aircraft dropping bombs, and a more efficient use of helicopters than previously observed, with pilots identifying locations for attack on the ground.
The offensives were an attempt to hold the towns so that border posts could be set up, said Prendergast. "The idea is to clear the areas of civilians. After each attack, the civilians trickle back to their homes, but there are only so many times you will do that before giving up."
Prendergast emphasised, however, that the fighting had no bearing on the second round of peace talks taking place in the southwestern Kenyan town of Machakos since Monday. "Both sides have to pursue the battlefield option while negotiations go on, in case they don't work," he commented.
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