Press release

Statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Translated from Arabic

Statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

of the Republic of Sudan

 

At the time of the negotiations, held between the Government of the Republic of Sudan and the so-called SPLM-N, in Addis Ababa, to reach a peaceful solution to the problems of South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, and while the Sudanese delegation was showing all seriousness and keenness to reach positive results focusing on the declaration of ceasefire, the so-called Revolutionary Front, which includes SPLM-N and the Sudan Liberation Army, started a series of terrorist attacks targeting a number of villages and towns in South Kordofan and North Kordofan, mainly Umm Ruwaba, Al Rahd and Abu Kershola, where there are no military garrisons. These attacks targeted public utilities, such as water and electricity plants, mosques, banks, communication facilities and markets, something which led to martyrdom and wounding of unarmed people, including students of the Holy Quran Schools and policemen, during their duty to protect citizens and properties. The attacks also include looting of properties, banks and gas stations. These terrorist attacks created a state of terror and fear among citizens. Some people were slaughtered in front of their families, and all this led to displacement of many people, from an area that was one of the safest, and had a high degree of movement of trade and capital.

This coward terrorist attack, which aims to expand the military operations, consequently led to humanitarian suffering and displacement. This confirms the warnings of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that the SPLM-N and its allies in the Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Army are the biggest threat to peace, security and humanitarian stability in South Kordofan, Blue Nile, Darfur and the nearby areas.

The terrorist attack exposes the SPLM-N and its allies in using civilians as human shields and utilizing the humanitarian sufferings from their criminal activities to implement their political goals, without regard for the lives that are lost and the resources that are wasted.

Facing this, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls on the international community, the regional and international organizations, especially the AU, the UN and its member states, and the UN Security Council, to take the following steps:

 · Clearly and explicitly condemn these terrorist attacks by emphasizing on the rejection of military action as a means of achieving political goals.

 · Oblige the North Sector and the so-called Revolutionary Front to immediately stop the military operations, in order to prepare for a new round of negotiations between the Government of Sudan and the North Sector. The vision of the Sudanese government was very clear during the last round of negotiations: the need for comprehensive ceasefire is fundamental in order to deal with the other issues. At the same time, the North Sector was preparing for military escalation.

 · Activate and implement the decision of the International Conference of the Lakes Region, which classified the so-called Justice and Equality Movement and the Sudan Liberation Army and their factions as negative forces that threaten the region’s security. The governments of the region should not deal with these movements and not allow them to be on the lands of the region or to provide them with assistance. In this regard, we mention the meeting of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front, which was hosted in Kampala last January, and which announced the so-called New Dawn Charter, which called for the use of military action in order to overthrow the Sudanese government. This attack is implementing the outcome of this meeting, and the terrorist attack named “The New Dawn Operation” confirms this.

  

Khartoum, 28 April 2013

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