‘Sudan to crush rebellion in next dry season campaign’: Defence, security

The Sudanese Minister of Defence and the head of the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), have announced the second “decisive dry season operation”, aiming at the “eradication of the insurgency on all fronts”. Addressing the graduation ceremony of the 57th infantry batch, 6th Division, in El Fasher, capital of North Darfur, Defence minister Lt. Gen. Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein stressed that the Sudan Armed Forces “are capable of defending the homeland against any aggression seeking to undermine the national security, and the security of the citizens”. In the presence of the head of NISS director Lt. Gen. Mohamed Atta, Hussein said he was sending a message “to those who carry arms, and to the mercenaries currently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and who have been calling for the dissolution of the armed forces and the security, that the final word will be spelled out in the battle field”. The minister reaffirmed that the army will eradicate the rebellion during the coming dry season operation, saying the new graduates will constitute a qualitative addition to the various units and branches of the army, Sudan News Agency reported today. On Tuesday, while presenting his ministry’s 2015 plan to the National Assembly, the Defence minister explained that the government is keen to upgrade the combat capabilities of the army. He said that he was certain that the “coming decisive dry season campaign will crush the rebellion” in the country. The next day, NISS director Atta, announced that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) “are ready for the final showdown with rebels to end the insurgency once and for all”. “Our sons will demonstrate that they are able to kill the insurgency and stop political auctions and trading platforms in the name of the citizens,” he noted. The NISS chief said that questioning the integrity of the RSF troops by some was intended to undermine the morale of the regular troops, and “prevent their forward progress to eradicate the rebels”, according to Sudan Tribune on Wednesday. Peace negotiationsThe AU brokered peace talks between the Sudanese government and two main Darfuri rebel movements in Addis Ababa were indefinitely suspended by Thabo Mbeki, head of the AU mediation team, on 4 December. Four days later, the peace negotiations on South Kordofan and the Blue Nile collapsed.Yasir Arman, head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North’s negotiation team, explained to Radio Dabanga from the Ethiopian capital that the rebels seek “a comprehensive peaceful settlement, and equal citizenship as inseparable elements to establish a democratic Sudan, while the government insists on restricting the talks to the cessation of hostilities and security arrangements”. File photo: Sudanese army troops along the Sudanese-South Sudanese border (Reuters) Related:Talks on Sudan’s Two Areas collapse, fighting in South Kordofan (8 December 2014) AUHIP suspends Darfur peace talks indefinitely (4 December 2014)