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Sudanese gov't denies involvement in south violence
2009-08-30 16:33

A high-ranking Sudanese official on Saturday denied accusations made by former southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) that the Sudanese government was involved in the tribal violence in southern Sudan.

"These accusations are false, baseless and incredible," Sudanese Presidential adviser Ali Tamim Fartak told Xinhua.

On Friday, tribesmen shot dead 43 people, including women and children as well as the SPLM soldiers, and wounded over 60 others in the latest inter-tribal attack in the Jonglei State in southern Sudan.

Officials of the semi-autonomic southern Sudanese government have blamed the recent tribal violence on the central government in Khartoum, which they say is arming civilians in the south to stir unrest ahead of a 2011 referendum on the secession of the region.

The Sudanese presidential advisor said, "The SPLM is trying to divert attention from its failure in bringing security to the south and preventing security spoilage there. The SPLM is running in the south and it has the responsibility to maintain security there."

He reiterated Khartoum's keenness on a full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which was signed between Khartoum's National Congress Party and the SPLM in 2005 that ended more than 20 years of war between north and south.

"The National Congress Party, which signed peace agreement with the SPLM, is the one that seeks to stabilize the south. It is unreasonable for the party to be behind the security lapse in the south," Fartak added.

SPLM spokesman Kuol Diem Cole has accused the Khartoum government of being behind the recent wave of violent incidents in the south.

Kohl said in an interview with the Miraya FM Radio that the Sudanese government also continued providing logistical support for the Ugandan rebel Lord's Resistance Army fighting in several areas in southern Sudan.

Source:Xinhua