Ahmed Kibir, the deputy governor for East Darfur state, has claimed that South Sudan’s army, the SPLA, has established a presence at the Sudanese border.The deputy governor claimed that large groups with military equipment and vehicles are on the border with East Darfur, adding that he is following events carefully that his government will protect its citizens in the Samaha area.
He further called on the Sudanese government to provide special support in order to rehabilitate the pasturelands and to resettle Arab nomads for the sake of stability of the region.
Kibir accused the South Sudan government of dragging its feet in implementing the cooperation agreement. The official was speaking during a visit to Sudanese soldiers in Khartoum wounded from the ‘Samaha operations’. He claimed that, as Sudan makes a step forward in implementing the agreement, South Sudan is relapsing.
However, the government of South Sudan has denied all such accusations as its army spokesman, Philip Aguer, referred to them as ‘baseless and untrue.’
Aguer added in an interview with Radio Tamazuj that South Sudan’s forces remained committed to maintaining security and renouncing hostilities in the border area despite Khartoum’s “repeated attacks on posts within South Sudan’s territory.” He reiterated his country’s adherence to the establishment of demilitarized zones along the border guarded by United Nations troops.
Meanwhile the Governor of South Sudan’s Northern Bahr El-Ghazal state, Paul Malong Awen, this week called members of the state council of ministers and legislature for a briefing on the 14 mile area.
State Minister for Information, the official spokesperson of the state government, told Radio Tamazuj yesterday from Aweil that “the Governor gave comprehensive enlightenment about mile 14, the disputed border area with Sudan.”
Reports from the state also suggest that there are moves to organize a conference between the Rizeigat, Misseriya and Dinka Malual to discuss pastoralists’ grazing routes along areas bordering Northern Bahr El-Ghazal.
These follow concerns raised by Al-Daif Issa Aliu, commissioner for Bahr El-Arab in East Darfur for thousands of cattle owned by pastoralists, unable to cross the border in order to reach water and grazing.
An agreement struck in September last year between the presidents of the two nations created a buffer zone which both parties committed to demilitarising. However, continued tension in the region means that neither have yet begun to implement this.