News Article by AFP posted on August 02, 2000 at 17:30:08: EST (-5 GMT)
Rebel group calls for end to factional fighting in southern Sudan
NAIROBI, Aug 2 (AFP) - The rebel South Sudan Liberation
Movement/Army
(SSLM/A) on Wednesday called for southern rebel
factions to stop fighting in
Sudan's Western Upper Nile.
In a statement sent to AFP here, SSLM/A spokesman Andrea Kuong
Ruach said
his movement's entire leadership has been monitoring the
disturbing news of
renewed factional fighting in Western Upper Nile
between different rebel
factions.
SSLM/A was formed last January by southern Sudanese
intellectual, Michael
Wal Duany, who had just returned from the
United States.
The SSLM/A said the fighting, which has been raging for two
weeks between
the combined forces of Sudan People's Defence Forces
(SPDF) of rebel leaders
Riek Machar and Major-General Paulino Matip
and Sudan People's Liberation
Army (SPLA) rebels commanded by Peter
Gadet Yak in Bentiu and Fangak areas,
was "senseless and
unnecessary."
"The SSLM/A views this fighting as senseless and unnecessary
destruction
of lives of our young men that South Sudan badly needs in
its struggle for
self-determination and justice," the statement
said.
"As reports from the area indicate, many hundreds of lives have
already
been lost on both sides. Worse still, this fighting in
Western Upper Nile can
only cause more pain and suffering for the
civil population and make life
completely unbearable," the SSLM/A
warned.
It pointed out that Western Upper Nile was already facing severe
food
shortages as a result of massive displacement of the people
from their homes
through the scorched earth policies of the
government in Khartoum.
The SSLM/A also expressed disgust over the heavy fighting that
has been
raging since last week between the SPLA and SPDF in Jiech
area of Ayod
district in Central Upper Nile.
"Again, there is no justification whatsoever for this
military
confrontation, as it can only benefit the Khartoum regime and
wreak
destruction and suffering on the Nuer people, who are the
innocent
victims of this unnecessary military contest," the SSLM/A said.
"Consequently, the SSLM/A calls uppon the SPLA and SPDF to stop
all forms
of hostilities against each other and focus on the
critical issues of the
liberation struggle," it urged.
Sudanese rebel sources in Nairobi told AFP that the Riek Machar
and Matip
teamed up to fight and expel Yak from oil-rich Bentiu
region, after the
latter defected from the SPDF with his forces and
rejoined the SPLA last
February.
SPLA spokesman here, Samson Kwaje, confirmed the fighting, but
declined to
comment until he had received full details from the
ground.
The mainly Christian and animist rebels of southern Sudan have
been
fighting Khartoum's successive Arab and Islamic governments
since 1983 and
were joined in 1995 by northern opposition groups.