The SPLA (The Sudanese People's

The SPLA (The
Sudanese People's Liberation Army), the main opposition group in
southern Sudan's civil war is apparently thinking of getting involved
in Darfur to a greater extent than they already are. This is not a good thing.

Sudanese rebel leaders say they are continuing to observe
the ceasefire in Darfur despite the repeated provocation. But yesterday
Bahar Ibrahim, a spokesman for the Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army
said that patience was wearing thin and the rebels would not stand by
while the Sudanese government continued to wipe out the black African
population of the region. "The humanitarian situation is terrible so we
are observing the ceasefire for our people to get help but there is a
point where we can't keep folding our arms and seeing things going from
bad to worse," he said. He said that the Janjaweed, whom he described
as "the Sudanese government by proxy", was continuing to attack
villages in Darfur, with gunmen killing nine people in Kobe last week
before burning down the village. He said more than a million people,
displaced from their villages, remained inside Sudan, many in camps
around the larger towns, too frightened to leave despite the appalling
conditions. "Malnutrition is rampant among the children but there is a
fear that if they go out they will be attacked or the women raped and
the children kidnapped. The children are really suffering," he said.
"Two weeks ago a large Janjaweed army came and attacked villages and
people around Djabal Moune and some of the people ran to the mountain
and some ran to the border. Some of the Janjaweed followed across the
border," he said. "The Sudanese air force came and gave air support.
They were bombing with aircraft and they had helicopter gunships. Maybe
200 people died. "Unless the ceasefire holds the situation will
deteriorate and there will be no alternative but to go and to defend
the villages. We are appealing to the international community to put in
place the mechanisms to have peace in Darfur."

Uh-oh. I was wondering when this was going to happen, or that at least
that we'd get some confirmation of the SPLA coming in on the side of
the refugees. Hell. Handbasket. Arriving shortly at gate three.

Posted by: Kathy at 02:01 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
Post contains 383 words, total size 2 kb.