Ethnic or power game!

S. Sudan War Escalate as Rebels Advance to Control Greater Upper Nile


Maj. Gen. Chol Tells of Ethnic Killings, Mass Graves



While war in South Sudan is escalating amid international community fears of eruption of fierce civil war, Pro-Riek Machar forces said they would occupy the entire greater Upper Nile state. Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. James Koang Chol said his forces were advancing on Garneif after their control of Bentiu. On the other hand, commander of the 4th infantry battalion who broke away from SPLA told Sudan Vision on telephone they were advancing on Millit after their control of Malakal to tighten control on greater Upper Nile.

For his part, the South Sudan government Minister of Information told the paper that government forces have recaptured Bor town, but declined to elaborate on rebels' capture of Malakal. "Situation there is not yet clear due to the on-going fighting in the town," he said.

Despite South Sudan government statement on closure of oil fields in the Unity state, commander Chol said their forces did not order stoppage of oil pumping, but oil workers withdrew for fear of being exposed to danger . "Stoppage of oil pumping is not in our interest," he argued.

Speaking to the paper, SPLM Prominent figure, Ajok Maguer, said conditions in Juba were completely stable, but returned to say fighting was still continuing in Malakal.

Commander Chol disclosed the existence of mass graves, most of the buried from Nuer, Shilluk and other tribes such as the Murle. He further admitted that the war was triggered by political and ethnic grudges combined due to the oppressive policy adopted by South Sudan government. "We cannot say the conflict is purely tribal, but it is a revolt against the political hegemony of one tribe," he affirmed.

Commander Chol said their forces withdrawal from Bor was tactical, killing and capturing in the process some SPLM troops, together with some Ugandan troops. He further added that their forces downed a plane before their withdrawal from the town.

Chol announced their readiness for dialogue according to the conditions declared by Dr. Riek Machar. He reaffirmed their contact with Machar and Lt. Gen. Peter Gadet.

He renewed their intention to establish strong relations with Sudan, denying allegations that they were against Salva Kiir lenient policy towards Sudan.

It is worth-mentioning that Chol was the commander of joint units in 2007, and commander of the joint units’ first division in 2009.



By Exclusive: By Saif Addeen Al-Bashir/ Al-Sammani Awadallah, 1 day 15 hours ago

Machar and Silva ...we have to stop civil war to develope South Sudan.

Dr Mashar in Bor


وصول مشار رسمياً إلى بور وسط حراسة لم تشهدها المنطقة من قبل



«314» قتيلاً و«16» ألف لاجئ في بور

12-21-2013 10:12 AM

وصل نائب رئيس دولة جنوب السودان السابق د. رياك مشار إلى مقاطعة بور بولاية جونقلي أمس وسط حراسة لم تشهدها المنطقة من قبل، فيما توترت الأوضاع بولاية الوحدة الغنية بالنفط، ووقعت اشتباكات عنيفة داخل مقر الفرقة الرابعة للجيش الشعبي، وشهدت في تلك الأثناء مقاطعة بانتيو مواجهات عسكرية بين مجموعات والجيش الشعبي أوقعت عدداً من القتلى والجرحى، وفرضت أجواء من الرعب وسط المواطنين، بينما اعتقل والي ولاية واراب مسقط رأس الرئيس سلفا كير «21» شخصاً بتهمة التخطيط والمشاركة في محاولة انقلابية على النظام في جوبا، وبدأت الولاية تعيش مشاحنات ربما تؤدي إلى وقوع اشتباكات، مع حالة عامة من السخط علي الوالي. وفي غضون ذلك ارتفعت نسبة التوتر والمواجهات بالولايات الجنوبية إلى مستوى عالٍ جداً أمس، ووقعت اشتباكات عنفية في عدد من المقاطعات بينما سقطت مقاطعات ومدن في يد الانقلابيين.



مشار في بور

حطت قوة غاية في التنظيم والتسليح بمقاطعة بور صباح أمس كوفد مقدمة لوصول نائب الرئيس مشار المتهم الرئيس في التخطيط لمحاولة انقلابية في جوبا الأحد الماضي. وظُهر أمس وصل موكب بحراسة لم تشهدها المنطقة من قبل يحمل مشار إلى داخل المدينة التي يسيطر عليها الفريق فيتر قديت منذ أيام، ونقل شاهد عيان لـ «الإنتباهة» وصول والي الوحدة السابق الفريق تعبان دينق برفقة د. مشار الذي التقى قديت لنصف ساعة فقط، وغادر بعدها مدينة بور لجهة غير معلومة.



سقوط أكوبو

سقطت مقاطعة أكوبو بولاية جونقلي في يد قوات الفريق قديت عقب معارك دامية ظهر، وتعتبر المدينة هي الثالثة من الترتيب بين مقاطعات الولاية من حيث المساحة والسكان. وقال مصدر خاص إن المدينة شهدت واحدة من أشرس المعارك الحربية، وسقطت في يد قوات قديت التي بدأت بالفعل بالزحف إلى جوبا وحاصرت منطقة قوق.



النفط في خطر

أجلت شركات أجنبية تعمل في مجال النفط «200» من موظفيها من بانتيو أمس عقب وقوع اشتباكات عنيفة بين الجيش الشعبي وموالين للانقلاب، بينما اقتتلت مجموعة من الجيش الشعبي داخل الفرقة الرابعة وانقسمت بين النوير والدينكا.



فصل قوات

قامت السلطات بشرق الإستوائية بفصل القوات العسكرية هناك من النوير والدينكا والأستوائيين ووجهت بعدم تعرض أية قبيلة للأخرى أو أية مجموعة للأخرى في معسكرات تم فصلها تماماً.



ارتفاع الإحصائيات

منعت السلطات مجموعة من الصليب الأحمر من الوصول إلى نيو سايت لجمع أعداد من الجثث. وقالت للمسؤولين هناك أن المنطقة تشهد توترات عالية ربما تؤثر على حياة الطاقم الطبي، في الوقت الذي استقبلت فيه مشرحة جوبا حوالي «560» قتيلاً في الاشتباكات. ولجأ في الأثناء «2000» مواطن إلى مقر يونميس في بانتيو أمس عقب اشتداد المعارك هناك.



قتلى بور

قتل «314» شخصاً في المعارك التي شهدتها مقاطعة بور بجونقلي قبل سقوطها، وكشفت مصادر مطلعة بالمدينة أن عدد القتلي بلغ «314» قتيلاً، وأكثر من «200» جريح فيما لجأ «16» ألف مواطن إلى مقر اليونميس في جونقلي هرباً من المواجهات الدامية بين الجيش الشعبي وقوات قديت.



توتر ملكال

شاب التوتر مقاطعة ملكال أمس عقب وقوع اشتباكات داخلية وسط تقدم لمجموعات ناحية المدينة، وقالت مصادر بالمنطقة إن منطقة الناصر وقعت في يد الانقلابيين الذين يتجهون إلى عاصمة الولاية أعالي النيل.



مواجهات رومبيك

قتل عشرات الجنود في مقاطعة رومبيك أمس إثر اشتباكات داخلية بالجيش الشعبي، وفقدت القيادة هناك السيطرة على الجنود عقب خلافات بتأييد الانقلاب ومخالفة له.



مقتل هنود

لقي ثلاثة جنود هنود حتفهم بولاية جونقلي في هجوم على قاعدة للأمم المتحدة أمس الأول. وقال السفير الهندي لدى المنظمة الأممية أسوكي موكيرجي إن مليشيات استهدفت القاعدة الأممية، مما أدى إلى مقتل الجنود الثلاثة. من ناحية أخرى قال متحدث باسم بعثة الأمم المتحدة في جنوب السودان، أمس، إن اثنين من قوات حفظ السلام قتلا وأصيب ثالث بجراح في الصدر، في هجوم تعرض له مقر البعثة في أكوبو الخميس الماضي. وأوضح جوزف كونتريراس أن الجنود من القوة الهندية المشاركة ببعثة «يونميس»، كما أشار إلى مقتل اثنين من المدنيين، من إجمالي «30» من مواطني جنوب السودان من احتموا بالمقر من الهجوم.



صحيفة الإنتباهة

هيثم عثمان

ع.ش

COME TO GETHER FOR THE SAKE OF THE POOR SOUTHRENS.

S. Sudan Unrest: Kiir Offers Talks, Machar Denies Coup


Salva Kiir said Wednesday he is willing to hold talks with his archrival former deputy he accuses of leading a coup bid against him.

"I will sit down with him -- Riek (Machar) -- and talk... but I don't know what the results of the talks will be," Kiir told reporters.

Security forces are hunting Machar to arrest him.

On his part, former South Sudanese vice-president Riek Machar has denied government allegations that he tried to stage a coup at the weekend.

In a BBC interview, he denied any link with fighting that began on Sunday.

Mr Machar, who fell out with President Salva Kiir in July, accused him of "inciting tribal and ethnic violence" to cover his own failings.

The UN has said the fighting has claimed hundreds of lives, and warned that it could descend into a civil war.

President Kiir has said a group of soldiers supporting Mr Machar had tried to take power by force on Sunday night, but were defeated.

He said the clashes began when uniformed personnel opened fire at a meeting of the governing party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

But Mr Machar told the BBC on Wednesday: "There was no attempted coup."

He blamed Sunday's fighting on a conflict between members of the presidential guard, and said it spread across parts of the capital, Juba.

He added that government troops used the incident to arrest some of his supporters on Monday, and that he himself escaped.

"Someone wanted to frame me," he said. "I had to flee. They are hunting me down."

The whereabouts of Mr Machar are unclear. He told the BBC he was still in South Sudan and was "not going to leave the country".

Details of the fighting have been sketchy, but a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday was told that the clashes were "apparently largely along ethnic lines".

French UN ambassador Gerard Araud, who holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council, said up to 20,000 people had taken refuge in the UN mission in Juba.

"Some reports are speaking of hundreds of casualties. For the moment we can't confirm this, but in any case it is a heavy toll," Mr Araud told the BBC.

He said the conflict had "the potential of a civil war" between the two main ethnic groups, the Dinka and the Nuer.

The government has denied that there was an ethnic aspect to the conflict.

"If you see the people going with Dr Riek [Machar], some are Dinkas, some are Chol, Nuer and other tribes," said the governor of Unity State, Simon Kun Pouch.

Fighting continued on Monday and Tuesday near the presidential palace and many other areas of Juba.

There were also reports of people fleeing clashes in Bor, about 150km (90 miles) to the north, with further gunfire reported there on Wednesday.

Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth said Mr Machar - who leads a dissident faction within the SPLM - was thought to have escaped with some troops.

On Tuesday, the government said former Finance Minister Kosti Manibe, former Justice Minister John Luk Jok and former Interior Minister Gier Chuang Aluong were among 10 opposition figures who had been arrested.

Many were members of the cabinet that was sacked in its entirety in July.

South Sudan has struggled to achieve a stable government since becoming independent from Sudan in 2011.

The independence referendum was intended to end a decade-long conflict, led by the SPLM, against the north. But the oil-rich country remains ethnically and politically divided, with many armed groups active.

Correspondents say Mr Machar is a shrewd operator, switching sides on several occasions during the north-south conflict as he sought to strengthen his own position and defend the interests of his Nuer group.

After a peace deal was signed in 2005, the southern rebel group appointed Mr Machar as vice-president of the South Sudan regional government, a position he retained after independence in 2011 until he was dropped in July.



By BBC – The Daily Star, 1 day 16 hours ago

If Silva Kiir toppelled Sudan will have problems.

HOME

NEWS TUESDAY 17 DECEMBER 2013

Bashir emphasises importance of stability in South Sudan

December 16, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir and his South Sudanese counterpart spoke by telephone on Monday in the wake of the clashes that erupted yesterday between military units in Juba.

According to Sudan official news agency (SUNA), Bashir was assured on stability of the security situation in South Sudan’s capital.

During the call Bashir emphasised the importance of security and stability in South Sudan for the interests of the two neighboring nations.

SUNA reported that Kiir thanked Bashir for his call and concern while affirming that the situation is now under control.

Sudanese 1st VP Bakri Hassan Salih made a similar call to his South Sudanese counterpart James Wani Igga.

At a press conference in Juba, Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of attempting a coup attempt and described him as a “prophet of doom [who] continues to persistently pursue his actions of the past”, in reference to the 1991 split in which the ex-vice president defected from the southern-based rebel group during its civil war with Sudan.

He also announced a dust-to-dawn curfew in Juba, saying justice would prevail on those behind the attack.

Several former ministers were taken into custody in connection with the alleged coup attempt.

The situation in Juba remains mysterious with reports of renewed fighting on Tuesday morning and unconfirmed number of casualties and injuries.

(ST)

Hospitale.

tamassociati Paediatric Centre Port Sudan - Sudan


12-12-2013

I pavimenti in gres porcellanato Active di Fiandre, sono stati impiegati nel centro pediatrico di Port Sudan progetto dallo studio tamassociati per l'ONG italiana Emergency, vincitore della medaglia d'oro Giancarlo Ius, destinato ad un'architettura innovativa e sostenibile.



Lo studio d'architettura tamassociati ha ricevuto ben tre riconoscimenti internazionali per le opere realizzate in Sudan per l'ONG italiana Emergency. L'Aga Khan Award e il Curry Stone Design Prize, di cui abbiamo già parlato in Floornature, per il Centro Cardiochirurgico Salam di Khartoum, e la medaglia d'oro Giancarlo IUS per il centro pediatrico di Port Sudan.

Il Premio Medaglia d’oro "Giancarlo Ius", assegnato nell'ambito della Biennale Internazionale di Architettura Barbara Cappochin, è destinato ad un'architettura innovativa e sostenibile sotto il profilo del risparmio energetico e dell’utilizzo di energie rinnovabili.

Un premio che ci rende particolarmente fieri perché nel Centro Pediatrico di Emergency sono stati impiegati pavimenti in gres porcellanato Active di Fiandre.

La giuria ha segnalato come gli architetti siano riusciti ad assicurare alla struttura un alto grado di comfort impiegando tecnologie semplici, tradizionali e non costose. Il progetto di tamassociati è un esempio di responsabilità etica, culturale e tecnica, una dimostrazione pratica sul ruolo fondamentale che ha l'architettura nel rispondere ai bisogni delle persone e delle comunità.

(Agnese Bifulco)



Progetto: studio tamassociati, Emergency logistic office, Climosfera srl (mechanical/services engineering), INGECO srl (structural engineering)

Luogo: Port Sudan, Sudan

Images courtesy of tamassociati, ph. Massimo Grimaldi



http://www.tamassociati.org/

http://www.emergency.it

http://www.granitifiandre.it

http://www.bcbiennial.info/

Good news.

Al-Fashir to Host Meeting of Doha Peace Document


Khartoum - Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur State, will host during Dec. 16 the 7th meeting of the Committee Assigned to follow up the implementation of Doha Peace Agreement under the chairmanship of the Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and the State Minister for Cabinet Affairs, Ahmed Bin Abdallah Al-Mahmoud.

The Arab League Representative to Sudan, Ambassador, Dr. Salah Halima told SUNA that the committee will review implementation of Doha Agreement and the reconstruction and development process in Darfur.

He said the meeting will be held at a time that the peace process will witness positive steps, especially, following the arrival of the Justice and Equality Movement which signed Doha Peace Agreement last April.



By SUNA, 14 hours 48 minutes ago

Come to negoziate ...

Sudan to host Nile basin countries for talks on Ethiopian dam


December 5, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The water ministers in the eastern Nile Basin countries will hold a meeting in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum next Monday to discuss the implications of Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam.

The summit which brings together Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia is a continuation of a previous one held to agree on forming a joint mechanism to implement the recommendations of the International Panel of Experts.

The ministers agreed at the November meeting to convene again to resolve disagreements over the establishment of the mechanism.

The government sponsored Sudanese Media Center (SMC) website quoted an unnamed source as emphasizing the importance of the three countries committing to cooperate for the sake of peoples of the eastern Nile Basin nations and utilizing the available resources.

The source said it is crucial that the three countries emerge from next week’s meeting with a clear vision on the formation of a mechanism to ensure the implementation of the recommendations of the International Panel of Experts despite the difficulty of the work and its complexity .

He underscored that the support of the states is required to implement and clarify the future course to follow the recommendations of the International Panel of Experts so as to build trust and promote cooperation among the three countries.

Egypt has long opposed the construction of the dam being built at Nile tributary saying that it will diminish the water supply to its soil.

Egypt argues that it does not have other alternative water sources unlike other Nile basin countries and insists the colonial-era agreement which gives Egypt the lion’s share of the waters shouldn’t be violated.

Addis Ababa however says its controversial dam project will not affect the water interest of the two downstream countries - Egypt and Sudan.

The Sudanese president Omer Hassan al-Bashir formally announced yesterday his country’s support of the dam project during a visit by Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

(ST)

Agreement.

Sudan’s support to Ethiopian dam is economically motivated: Bashir


December 4, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese president, Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, has said that his country’s approval for the construction of Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam was driven by economic not political reasons and asserted that Sudan would yield great economic benefits from the construction of the dam.

He further called upon Egypt to utilize the anticipated benefits of the dam, stressing that Sudan would support the construction of the dam through the tripartite committee for the interest of all countries in the region.

The Nile Tripartite Committee, now named the ‘International Panel of Experts (IPoE), is composed of six experts drawn from Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan, and another four international experts.

Bashir , who addressed a public rally in Gedaref state, eastern Sudan, on Wednesday in the occasion of the inauguration of the power linkage network between Sudan and Ethiopia, added that Sudan supports all projects which benefit people of the region.

He emphasized that Sudan seeks to strengthen ties with Ethiopia through trade zones and development and infrastructure projects, pointing to the power linkage, communications, and railways projects which will be completed in the near future.

The Sudanese president also mentioned that Ethiopia’s electricity and dams projects will provide 200 megawatt of free electricity for Sudan, pointing that electricity generation from Upper Atbara and Setait dams would increase from 120 megawatt to 320 megawatt following the construction of the renaissance dam.

Addis Ababa was pleased recently by Khartoum’s support to the new dam project which will be erected near the Sudanese border, as Sudan used to support the Egyptian position in matters of Nile water.

In the nineties following the fall of Mengistu regime with the support of the Sudanese regime, the two countries aspired to enhance regional cooperation together with the new nation of Eritrea. But differences over Khartoum’s support to Ethiopian and Eritrean Islamists followed by Addis and Asmara border war hampered the tripartite project.

The Ethiopian prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, said that the power linkage project represents the beginning of the integration and cooperation projects between Sudan and Ethiopia.

He affirmed that his country doesn’t seek to achieve narrow interests from the major development projects but takes into account the benefit of all countries in the region.

Bashir and Desalegn signed on Wednesday the framework agreement on trade, economy, and technical cooperation between Sudan and Ethiopia at the end of the JSEHC meetings while foreign ministers signed the minutes of the higher committee meetings.

The two leaders also signed several agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MOU).

The agreements included cooperation agreements on legal assistance in criminal issues, aviation services, local and decentralized governance, passenger services, security issues, and railways.

The MOUs included cooperation in areas of combating human trafficking, woman, youth, and children, banking, customs as well as the executive programs on youth and general education.

Speaking in a press conference held on Wednesday evening, Bashir that Sudan and Ethiopia agreed on establishing a free economic and trade zone on the common border, pointing that the trade zone would be equally split between the countries in order to attract investments from both sides.

He renewed Sudan’s determination to achieve peace and stability in the Horn of Africa, stressing that Sudan has always sought to resolve problems and tensions among countries in the region. He pointed that Sudan’s strong ties with Ethiopia and Eritrea qualify it play a role in removing tensions between the two countries.

Last year , tensions between Eritrea and Ethiopia escalated, mounting fears of renewed conflict, after the Ethiopian army carried out cross-border attacks on military camps inside Eritrea. The attack was in response to the killing and abduction of foreign tourists in January 2012 in Ethiopia’s remote Afar region by rebels allegedly backed by Eritrea.

The cross-border attacks by Ethiopian troops was Addis Ababa’s first and official military incursion since the two East African nations ended the bitter war in 2000 over the disputed town of Badme, which had been attributed to Eritrea by a UN border committee.

(ST)

You are a criminal associated with the NCP !

غازي صلاح الدين يمتنع عن الإعتذار للشعب السوداني عن 24 عاماً السابقة

قال : عندما تطرح القضية سنقدم شهاداتنا ودفوعاتنا

12-04-2013 08:41 AM

الخرطوم بحري : فاطمة غزالي – عبدالناصرالحاج



أعلنت مجموعة الإصلاحيون المنسلخة من حزب المؤتمر الوطني رسمياً تأسيس حزبها الجديد عقب تقديمها طلب لمسجل الأحزاب بإسم (الاصلآح الآن )، ودعت المؤتمر الوطني الانضمام إليه ونفت وجود أي خلافات أو مقاضبه بينهم وحزبهم القديم، وكشفت عن تلقيها دعوات من الولايات بالانضمام للحزب الجديد منوهين الى الإصلاح الذي ينشدونه يتمثل في التغيير الكامل والتجديد .



ولم يستبعد القيادي الاصلاحي غازي صلاح الدين العتباني في مؤتمر صحفي بمنزله بضاحية بحري أمس اتجاههم لتقديم طعن دستوري ضد رئيس الجمهورية في حال ترشحة للانتخابات قائلاً إن ذلك الأمر وارد منا ، منوهاً إلى أن الدستور لايمنح البشير الحق في الترشح مرة أخرى، داعياً حزب المؤتمر الوطني حسم الجدل حول البند الذي يتيح لرئيس الجمهورية عمر البشير الترشح مرة أخرى لدورة رئاسية جديدة، مشدداً على أن تلك التي وصفها بالمشكلة تستحق النظر وأن تطرح للشعب السوداني.



وتوقع غازي انضمام قيادات من حزب المؤتمر الوطني لحزبهم الاصلاح الآن وتشارك في تاسيس الحزب قائلاً إننا نعول كثيراً على جماهير الشعب السوداني ، مضيفاً انهم في المجموعة يشكون من ضيق ذات البين وأنهم حركة فقيرة ويعتمدون على المساهمات ، وأقر غازي بتأثر خطبائهم بخطاب حزب المؤتمر الوطني ، قائلاً: "إن ذلك ليس بالأمر الصحيح ويجب أن يكون خطابنا أصيلاً وليس انفعالياً ولا أن يصاب بردود الأفعال " مشدداًعلى ضرورة تقديم شهادة براءه من حزب المؤتمر الوطني مؤكداً تنحيه عن حزب الإصلاح الأن في حال عدم الاستماع اليه من الناس وترك غازي الباب موارباً امام ترشحهم للانتخابات المقبلة قائلاً إنه أمر وارد ،



وأكد غازي استعدادهم للمحاسبة لل24 عاما السابقة التي قضوها في الحكم قائلاً: "عندما تطرح القضية سنقدم شهاداتنا ودفوعاتنا ، لكنه امتنع عن الإعتذار للشعب السوداني عن 24 عاماًالسابقة قائلاً: إن الاعتذار لايجدي نفعاً وكشف عن إجرائهم اتصالات مع الأحزاب السياسية الأخرى وجدوا من بعضها تجاوباً كبيراً وقطع، بعدم حل الأزمة الاقتصادية بإجراءات إجرائية قائلاً: إن حلها يكمن في اصلاح كلي في البلاد وإن لم تحل ستنهار الدولة بالإضفاة الى حل الأزمة السياسية والأمنية ومحاورة حاملي السلاح وحل مشكلة العلاقات الخارجية والقضاء على الشكوك مع دولة الجنوب .



الجريدة

THE SUDANESE NAZI approves relations with south Sudan!!!

Sudan’s far right party calls for improved relations with S. Sudan


December 1, 2013 (KHARTOUM) - Sudan’s Just Peace Forum (JPF) has announced that it changed its policies towards South Sudan and called for improving relations with the new nation.

The JPF, a splinter faction of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) is a radical Islamist and separatist party. During the transitional period of 2005-2011, it campaigned for separation between the northern and southern Sudan .

The political group is headed by Al-Tayeb Mustafa, president Bashir’s maternal uncle. Its main forum is the best-selling daily paper Al- Intibaha, which is notorious for its aggressive rhetoric.

The JPF spokesperson, Satti Sorketti, called in a press conference on Saturday to improve relations with the Republic of South Sudan stressing "it is no longer an enemy to the Sudan".

Sorketti further demanded putting the border issues and dispute over Abyei area with South Sudan "in its true context", and dismissed reports saying that South Sudan had played a role in forcing Mustafa out of Al-Intibaha,

The JPF had deeply criticized the economic measures announced last September and condemned the bloody repression of the anti-austerity protests and as a result authorities banned Al-Intibaha but allowed it to resume on 3 November on the condition that Mustafa would step down as chairman.

Sorketti said that they managed to win the battle of identity against the secularist parties and now they direct their efforts to fight against corruption and the NCP’s inability to govern Sudan, saying that the country and the society are on the verge of collapse.

He accused the ruling party of targeting the JPF and banning its newspaper, saying that the NCP stipulated that Mustafa steps down as the chairman of the board of directors and separates the JPF from the newspaper.

"The law, state, politics, and rights have become absolute property of the NCP", he said.

He added that the NCP doesn’t seek to serve public interests but aims to clinch to power even at the expense of the country and accused unnamed influential figures in the government of standing behind the current problems within the JPF, saying that they incited "sacked members to split the JPF".

The JPF official also threatened to reveal names of those NCP influential figures soon.

He further said that some senior figures within the NCP deemed Mustafa more dangerous than the rebel Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), pointing that the attack on the JPF’s chairman is nothing but a character assassination attempt.

"We will stick to Al-Intibaha to the last gasp", he added.

The JPF deputy chairman, Hassan Al-Tom, for his part, asserted that they wouldn’t abandon their ownership rights in Al-Intibaha, pointing that they might resort to other options to finance the JPF including issuance of a new newspaper.

(ST)