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Ruling Party Denies Involvement in Latest Reported South Sudan Bombing

   Peter Clottey 07 December 2010
   Sudan President Omar al-Bashir

   IN SEARCH OF A VENUE When the International Criminal Court asked Kenya
   to  arrest Sudanās President Omar al-Bashir as he arrived for a summit
   meeting  of  the  seven  East African nations of the Intergovernmental
   Authority  on  Development  in Nairobi, summit organizers talked about
   moving  meeting  to discuss a political solution for troubled Sudan to
   Addis  Ababa, Ethiopia, which is not an ICC signatory. Instead, the AU
   opted for postponement of the meeting. AP photo.

   A prominent member of Sudanās ruling National Congress Party (NCP) has
   described  as  ridiculous  accusations his party was behind the latest
   bombing attack of semi-autonomous south Sudan that reportedly occurred
   Monday and Tuesday.

   Rabie  Abdelati Obeid told VOA it was inappropriate for an official of
   the  Sudan  Peopleās  Liberation  Movement  (SPLM)  to call for a U.N.
   investigation into the attack.

   āI  donāt think that this official announcement (about the bombing) is
   correct because there is no way to start or continue a war. We are now
   proceeding  to  implement  peace  according  to the CPA (Comprehensive
   Peace Agreement),ā said Obeid.

   āI  think  the justification for this allegation by Pagan Amum is only
   because they are feeling that the situation is not going okay and that
   the  phase  of the referendum and the registration of voters are faced
   with  a  lot  of  violations.  He  wants to cover these violations and
   (because) they failed to (respect the referendum Act).ā

Obeid

   Dr.  Rabie  Abdelati  Obeid, is a prominent member of Sudan's dominant
   National Congress Party (NCP)

   Pagan  Amum,  secretary-general of the SPLM, said the latest attack is
   yet  another  attempt by the NCP to destabilize the south ahead of the
   9^th January referendum on south Sudanās independence.

   There  has  been no independent confirmation of the latest bombings in
   the states of Western and Northern Bahr al-Ghazal.

   Obeid  said  the  accusation is the SPLMās ācamouflagingā what he said
   are  the  gross  violations of the Referendum Act in the ongoing voter
   registration.

   āThe  SPLM wants 9^th January to come and to say that secession is now
   an  option  for  the  south  Sudan  people,  regardless of the system,
   regardless  of  the Referendum Act and regardless of the CPA. The SPLM
   is  waiting for the 9^th of January to declare secession. But, this is
   not what is agreed upon.ā

   Obeid  also  denied  that there have been bombings in the south saying
   the accusations are meant to embarrass President Omar Hassan al-Bashir
   and the ruling party.

   āHe  has  no right to call for the United Nations to (investigate). Up
   to now, south Sudan and north Sudan (are) still one country. It is the
   president  and the government that has the authority to do so. I think
   that this is beyond his (Pagan Amumās) jurisdiction.ā

   If  confirmed,  this would be the third airstrike by northern Sudanese
   forces in less than a month.
   On  November  24, southern officials said helicopter gunships from the
   north attacked a base in Bahr al-Ghazal.
   Earlier, northern aircraft bombed the south while fighting rebels from
   Sudan's  Darfur  region. Northern officials acknowledged that bombing,
   calling it an accident.

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