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KHARTOUM - 4 Oct 2012

Sudan raids southern militia outposts in Khartoum and border towns

A mixed force of army, police and a National Intelligence and Security raided on Monday the headquarters of the former Southern leaders James Gai and Gabrial Tanginye, two leading figures of militias opposed to the South Sudan government.

The crackdown comes after a security agreement between Sudan and South Sudan in Addis Ababa, in which both sides agreed to stop supporting proxy militias in each other’s territory.

Informed source said that 34 were arrested on accusations of possession of weapons and Kalashnikov rifles, and two Thuraya telephones and sum of money in Omdurman at ​​Abu Saad area square 15.

Witnesses said that the force of 50- heavily armed vehicles blockaded the house of the leader in the early hours of Sunday morning before raiding it midday of the same day, after heavy gunfire in the air and armed clashes between the government forces and the militia which spreading panic among citizens in the area. The government forces were able to gain entry to the militias’ building and disarm and arrests dozens of guards who were in the house and the confiscate their properties. There was no injuries on either side.

In a related development, government forces have disarmed the southern militias at Timsah area near Al Dibab town in the western sector of South Kordofan.

Sources said that security force carried out an operation of disarming troops of a southern militia who were in Diffra near Abyei, with other elements in Muglad and Kharasana.

The sources added that the southern militias refused to hand over their weapons, leading to disarmament by force and the arrest of several officers, before being deported to the security’s division 22 headquarters in Babanusa, and then deported to Khartoum through the airport of Balila oil area.

On the other hand citizens of Abu Jubeiha reported to the county authorities that militias affiliated, in their words, to Southern opposition leader Dr. Lam Akol, were 9 kilometers outside of the city and were forced to leave the area after small clashes between the militias leaving two from the militia injured. Fears of confrontation between the militia and the Sudanese armed forces persist.