Violence Flares in the Sudans

Soldiers from Sudan's army rest after gaining control of the area, at the Blue Nile state capital al-Damazin, September 5, 2011. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

The Sudan’s continue to be plagued by unrest, both along the border and within the new state of Southern Sudan.

Last Thursday fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-North) in Sudan’s Blue Nile state. SAF forces allegedly opened fire on a convoy of SPLM-North forces in the state’s capital, al Damazin. Blue Nile state is part of the North but like South Kordofan (where fighting continues) lies along the new border and has strong ties to the South.

Sudanese President Omar Bashir declared a ceasefire in South Kordofan on August 23^rd but cultural and historical ties between that state and Blue Nile are strong and the SPLM-North is active in both and there are fears that violence may spread to the former, despite the ceasefire.

Thousands have already fled the state and Sudan has declared a state of emergency. Blue Nile’s governor, Malik Agar, who is a chairman of the SPLM-North was dismissed from his post, and a military governor, Lt. General Yahia Mohammed Kheir, has been appointed. The city appears to be largely under SAF control but the security situation remains volatile and SPLM-North may launch a broader offensive if they are increasingly pressured to disarm. VOA’s Alsanosi Ahmed has some background on the ground.

Khartoum views SPLM-North as a new secessionist threat and South Sudan’s minister of information, Barnaba Benjamin told Al Jazeers that the southern state was ‘not giving support, material or otherwise, to South Kordofan or Blue Nile.”

The South’s own security situation is also tense.

On August 26, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) began deployment of peacekeepers and civilian experts to Jonglei following violence in that state’s eastern region of Uror. The unrest between the Murle and Lou Nuer tribes in Uror is thought to have resulted in at least 600 deaths and injury to a further 1,000. Violence appears to have flared on August 18 when Murle tribesmen attacked Lou Nuer villages near Pieri; reports indicate that the attackers burned houses, stole cattle and abducted several minors. Similar clashes were subsequently reported in Warrap state. The South Sudanese government admitted that its current security provisions were insufficient to manage the unrest and prompted South Sudan President Salva Kiir’s announcement on August 25 that the army would be posted to the state in a bid to quell the unrest; the UNMISS operation will provide surveillance flights and additional patrols to support the South Sudanese mission.

Although the increased security force presence may reduce the incidence of violence, retaliatory killings and acts of unrest are likely to persist; tribal divisions, poor infrastructure and a lack of cohesion within the South Sudanese armed forces are exacerbating the issue of insecurity outside of the country’s main urban centers. Given continued food shortages in the region, further incidents of communal violence may loom on the horizon.