The SPLA (The Sudanese People's

The SPLA (The
Sudanese People's Liberation Army), the main opposition group in
southern Sudan's civil war is apparently thinking of getting involved
in Darfur to a greater extent than they already are. This is not a good thing.

Sudanese rebel leaders say they are continuing to observe the ceasefire in Darfur despite the repeated provocation. But yesterday Bahar Ibrahim, a spokesman for the Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army said that patience was wearing thin and the rebels would not stand by while the Sudanese government continued to wipe out the black African population of the region. "The humanitarian situation is terrible so we are observing the ceasefire for our people to get help but there is a point where we can't keep folding our arms and seeing things going from bad to worse," he said. He said that the Janjaweed, whom he described as "the Sudanese government by proxy", was continuing to attack villages in Darfur, with gunmen killing nine people in Kobe last week before burning down the village. He said more than a million people, displaced from their villages, remained inside Sudan, many in camps around the larger towns, too frightened to leave despite the appalling conditions. "Malnutrition is rampant among the children but there is a fear that if they go out they will be attacked or the women raped and the children kidnapped. The children are really suffering," he said. "Two weeks ago a large Janjaweed army came and attacked villages and people around Djabal Moune and some of the people ran to the mountain and some ran to the border. Some of the Janjaweed followed across the border," he said. "The Sudanese air force came and gave air support. They were bombing with aircraft and they had helicopter gunships. Maybe 200 people died. "Unless the ceasefire holds the situation will deteriorate and there will be no alternative but to go and to defend the villages. We are appealing to the international community to put in place the mechanisms to have peace in Darfur."

Uh-oh. I was wondering when this was going to happen, or that at least that we'd get some confirmation of the SPLA coming in on the side of the refugees. Hell. Handbasket. Arriving shortly at gate three. Posted by Kathy at June 1, 2004 02:01 PM | TrackBack