Talks on Sudan’s Two Areas collapse, fighting in South Kordofan

The head of the AU mediation team, Thabo Mbeki, announced the suspension of the peace negotiations between the Sudanese government and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) on the Two Areas (South Kordofan and Blue Nile states) today. The Sudan Armed Forces and SPLM-N fighters have traded accusations over fighting that erupted today in the area southwest of Kadugli, capital of South Kordofan. Yasir Arman, Secretary-General of the SPLM-N, explained to Radio Dabanga from Addis Ababa that the negotiations reached a deadlock, as the government refused to discuss a number of issues the rebel movements insist on dealing with. 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”. Arman added that the next round may resume at the beginning of next year. “When Mbeki asked us for our opinion, Dr Ibrahim Ghandour, the head of the government delegation, said that he himself will not continue, because he will be in charge with his party’s preparations for the general elections scheduled for April next year. We replied that we will welcome any replacement to continue the negotiations.” Referring to the indefinite adjournment of the separately-held peace talks on Darfur on 4 December, the rebel leader stated that the “Khartoum regime is not interested in peace. It does not have a solution for the armed conflict in the Two Areas, except waging war and starving the inhabitants. The Sudanese government is not serious about a broad dialogue with the opposition. The proposal for a National Dialogue was only done to buy time until the elections, in which, as we all know, Al Bashir will be re-elected.” Arman called on the Sudanese to support the Sudan Appeal, and “convert the document into mass action. A popular uprising should prevent the elections from taking place, and eliminate the one-party system in the country. A broad constitutional conference is to be organised, to agree on the establishment of a nation based on equal citizenship.” Fighting The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) announced on Monday that it repulsed attacks by SPLM-N forces on an army checkpoint west of South Kordofan’s capital Kadugli, and Balinja, southwest of Kadugli. The army has inflicted vast losses on the rebel forces, SAF spokesman El Sawarmi Khaled Saad said in a press statement. He denied reports that Kadugli had been attacked by the rebels, refuting rumours about clashes at the outskirts of the capital, and about a Sudanese fighter jet bombing military garrisons around the city by mistake.   The SPLM-N gainsaid the reports of the army spokesman, accusing government forces of launching an attack on the rebel-controlled areas of Balinja and Lufo instead. “The rebel fighters repulsed the attack on Balinja, located 10 km southwest of Kadugli, and inflicted huge losses to the regular forces,” SPLM-N spokesman Arnu Ngutulu Lodi told Radio Dabanga. “We captured two Land Cruisers loaded with heavy weapons, 20 Dushka machine-guns, and various other weapons.” File photo: Sudanese army forces in West Kordofan (Radio Tamazuj) Related:AUHIP suspends Darfur peace talks indefinitely (4 December 2014)Rebels, regular forces battle in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains (1 December 2014)Peace talks between Sudan government and SPLM-N resume (12 November 2014)