• Home
  • news
    • 2007
      • Sudan Armed Forces say in line with CPA provisions

Sudan Armed Forces say in line with CPA provisions

August 25, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) have strongly denied accusations by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on implementation of re-deployment of forces in line with military arrangements contained in the Comprehensive peace agreement (CPA).

In a statement issued Saturday, the General Command of the Armed Forces said since the signing of the CPA the SAF have been keen on the implementation of all the articles of the agreement one of those important clauses is the one about the redeployment of the Armed Forces north of the 1956 borderlines.

The statement said the accusations were detrimental to the UN’s credibility on equal dealing with the CPA parties.

In a report to the U.N. Security Council circulated Thursday 23 August, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the Sudanese military to remove all remaining troops from southern Sudan, expressing disappointment that a July 9 deadline was not met as called for in a 2005 peace deal that ended the 21-year civil war in the southern part of the country.

The statement added that international monitors had noted in their latest report that SAF had implemented 87.5 per cent of the [re-deployment] clause, while the UN is still insisting on condemning it and exempting the other party — the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) which it alleges has only implemented 6.9 per cent of the re-deployment clause.

The SAF’s statement gave some statistics with regards to the SPLA forces in northern Sudan and oil area saying they released by Ceasefire Joint Military Committee (CJMC) headed by the UNMIS : - First: the SPLM has 35,330 troops in the Southern Blue Nile area. - Second: the SPLM has 22,601 troops in the Nuba Mountain area. - Third: the SPLM has 1237 troops around Abyie area.

The SAF stated that it only has 3,655 troops in the petroleum areas according to the statistics of the UN mission “because of the intensive presence of the forces of SPLA in the area that stands at 30 thousand troops and the agreement stipulates that the area be free of arms and troops.”

Under the CPA, only the joint units should police the oil areas.

"Given the lack of overture of the SPLM forces in the areas of regrouping agreed upon, a question that was discussed during the meeting of the Joint Defense Council on the 26th of June 2007 and the matter was submitted to the Presidency to take decision therein and therefore this matter is no longer to be a subject of criticism by the United Nations."

Ban also said in Thursday’s report that about 3,600 Sudanese troops remain in the south, but some southern civilian sources, including the governor of Unity State, contend the figure is much higher, the Associated Press reported.

Formation of joint military units comprising elements from the north and south was a prerequisite in the 2005 deal for the full redeployment of rebel forces from Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States, Ban said, adding that their creation was significantly behind schedule.

The joint units are also mandated to protect Sudan’s oilfields, while oil installations are to be demilitarized under the agreement, he said.

Ban, who is expected to visit Sudan next month, strongly urged the two parties to complete the assignment of troops to the joint units, which he said was some nine months overdue. He also called upon the north to remove all remaining military units from the south not earmarked for joint integration.

• Disclaimer