Taha calls for military expansion in Blue Nile

Says people who have been part of “mutiny” will repent

Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, the first vice president of Sudan, urged the Sudanese army in capital Damazin to expand its military operations in the Blue Nile state on Sunday.Ali Osman Taha called for an end to “mutiny, treason and lawlessness.” He said, “There will be no return to normal citizenry for all those people who have been part of this treachery and killed innocent people and children. There will only be repentance.”

On the other hand, brigadier-general Ali Bandar, deputy to former governor of Blue Nile state, Malik Aggar expressed regret over the vice president’s call for military expansion in Damazin.

Ali Bandar said in an interview with Radio Dabanga that the Sudanese army initiated the attack on the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) forces in the Blue Nile. This had been in line with prior planning and management.

“It is appalling how many innocent people have been killed and displaced by the air and ground attacks in Blue Nile. The attack is the first thing happened in Damazin when we resumed office after holidays,” Ali Bandar said.

He added that the Sudanese army had resorted to intense firing from which he narrowly escaped death.

‘490,000 affected in Blue Nile’

Meanwhile, the emergency committee of the conflict in the Blue Nile state said that the number of people affected by the conflict now amounted to 490,000.

Al Makh Abdul Rahman, head of the emergency committee of the conflict, appealed to national organizations and philanthropists to speed up the helping process and fill in gaps while assisting the affected people with food, medicines etc.