From the Frontline: Fighting between the Two Sudans Continues as SAF Launches Attack against SPLA in Unity State
BENTIU, South Sudan – On April 29, the 4th division of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, or SPLA, operating around Panakuac—a South Sudanese town in northern Unity state, located about 23 kilometers away from Heglig where SPLA troops recently withdrew—came under attack from Sudan Armed Forces, or SAF. I, along with a group of international journalists embedded within the 4th division, was caught in the crossfire ...
Sudan Forces Bomb South Sudan; Negotiations Stall
For nearly 10 days following South Sudan’s military occupation of the disputed oil-rich area of Heglig, Sudan and South Sudan were on the verge of war. On Friday, April 20, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, or SPLA, announced its withdrawal from Heglig, a move regarded by the international community as a positive step toward diffusing tensions between South Sudan and Sudan. However, the two countries are not any nearer to achieving a lasting peace as the Sudan Armed Forces, or SAF, continue to carry out aerial and ground attacks on territory in South Sudan, yesterday reaching a crescendo with the ...
Two Sudans on the Brink of War?
Once again, relations between Sudan and South Sudan are teetering on the brink of war. Over the past week, fighting along the border between the two nations, and aerial bombardment by the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, deep into the territory of South Sudan have nearly destroyed rising hopes that the two countries would strike a deal in the near future on outstanding disputes. However, some hope still lives on in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, where officials cling to the possibility that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will proceed with his visit to Juba on April 3 for a ...
Armed Civilians Challenge South Sudan Government
While the government of South Sudan is pondering the best way to tackle growing insecurity and prospects of persistent inter-communal hostility, the restive state of Jonglei, the scene of the recent deadly clashes, is enveloped in fear, anxiety, and anticipation of likely reprisal attacks—a situation which, if not handled sensibly, may escalate ...
Still Counting the Dead in South Sudan’s Jonglei Conflict
The long-standing Lou Nuer-Murle feud in Jonglei state claimed the lives of a large number of civilians when some 6,000 Lou Nuer youth attacked the rival Murle in Pibor town at the end of December and early January. United Nations officials in the country cannot provide the exact number of people killed, but the U.N. estimates that 140,000 people were affected by the violence. Some 70 Murle and 88 Lou Nuer are housed at the Juba Teaching Hospital, undergoing treatement. These patients, among the most severely injured, are a stark reminder of the challenges the new South Sudanese nation faces ...
Sudan Army Targets School in Latest Attack on Civilians
On February 1, Sudan Armed Forces, or SAF, bombed a school in the village of Heiban in South Kordofan on the first day of classes. Eyewitnesses report that eight bombs were dropped and two landed inside the school compound destroying two buildings. No injuries were reported, even though the school was full of students, an outcome the church group that built and supports the school called “a miracle.” ...
U.N. Humanitarian Chief in Jonglei, South Sudan: ‘It’s a Terrible Situation’
The U.N.’s top humanitarian official, Valerie Amos, visited some scenes of the recent bloodshed in South Sudan yesterday and expressed concern about what she said is a deepening humanitarian crisis. Amos’ four-day visit to South Sudan comes on the heels of inter-tribal clashes in Jonglei state where about 140,000 people have been affected by the fighting ...
Key Rebel Leader Killed, Highlighting Militia Challenge in South Sudan
George Athor, a former senior officer in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, or SPLA, was killed Monday night in a two-hour firefight with the government forces in Marobo County in Central Equatoria state. Athor was one of the most powerful rebel leaders in South Sudan, but perhaps more than anything, his death draws attention to a major challenge the new country faces: the threat of renegade commanders and the fighters they mobilize ...
Sudan Opposition Rallying Around Sudan Revolutionary Front?
A political showdown in Sudan is imminent as both the ruling National Congress Party, or NCP, and the newly formed Sudan Revolutionary Front, or SRF, attempt to enlist more support from undecided opposition parties in Sudan. Soon enough all Sudanese political parties may face a dilemma: either accept the ruling NCP government or become part of the opposition coalition—a political contest that may have the potential to divide the country into two major political forces ...
Field Dispatch: A View from Blue Nile
Enough has recently documented that Sudanese military forces in Blue Nile state have engaged in the killing and raping of civilians, resulting in tens of thousands of refugees and displaced persons fleeing for safety in neighboring Ethiopia and South Sudan, and within Blue Nile. On a trip to a location near Kurmuk in Blue Nile close to the Ethiopian border, Enough Project staff spoke to Blue Nile’s elected governor, Malik Agar, about the current situation and his aspirations for Sudan’s future ...
