World Leaders Petitioned To Halt Ongoing Carnage

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The United Nations has been urged to facilitate an immediate return to the negotiation table in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in order to tackle the outstanding issues, which are the root causes of the ongoing crisis. 

Deeply concerned about the ongoing crisis between South Sudan and Sudan, the South Sudanese communities around the world have come together under a joint initiative known as the South Sudan Volunteer Initiative (SSVI), to implore UN and other international institutions to accordingly act on the Khartoum administration, states an urgent draft petition by concerned south Sudanese around the world. 

In their draft petition, they expressed that, “the Sudan government’s continuous attacks on South Sudan since its independence in July last year plus its endless defiance of the international community’s plea to respect human rights, implement the remaining provisions of the CPA, withdraw from Abyei, and stop aerial bombardments of innocent civilians deep in the interior South Sudan’s territory, are not startling to us. …

For we are used to them (that is the reason we are here), we find it shocking to see the level in which it has been able to easily deceives the international community on the current crisis. The fraudulent account of Panthou (Heglig) – also known locally as Wunthow, Aliiny, Riik – among other names, gained an unprecedented acceptance among some international circles, essentially raising major concerns about the global community’s attention span. 

Although these concerned South Sudanese are urging the international community to refrain from making a premature ruling/judgment on Panthou’s status until the demarcation of the South Sudan – Sudan border is reasonably arbitrated, they also have categorically opposed a military solution to their problems, they support the calls of the UN Security Council, the African Union, and the UN Secretary-General, amongst others, for an immediate end to all confrontations. 

Summary on incidences allegedly committed by SAF 
The petition narrates one of the incidences committed by the SAF on Saturday April 14, 2012, at 1:30 PM local time, a SAF MiG 29 plane bombed Bentiu town in South Sudan’s Unity State, killing 5 civilians, and wounding 6 others. The aerial attack set ablaze the main Bentiu market, leaving the locals running for their dear lives. On the same day, SAF also released three bombs on Bentiu Bridge, with the intention to destroy the corridor between Bentiu and Rubkona. More SAF bombs were dropped on Panakuach – also in Unity State, wounding 5 civilians. Two bombs were also dropped on Biemnhom, also in Unity State, on the same today. 

As if this wasn’t enough and despite the UN Security Council’s statement on April 12, two days earlier, calling for an immediate stoppage of the aerial bombardments, SAF Antonov plane dropped two bombs a day later on Ajakkuach in Warrap State of South Sudan while also conducting aerial bombardments of Majoknhom, also in Warrap State. This was in a very short order and does not include the previous air raids. There have been total of 60 bombs dropped inside South Sudan territory thus far! 
  
We also want to remind our readers that South Sudan has been a faithful partner at the negotiation table despite lacklustre effort by the Sudanese delegation to accept any recommendation from the African Union’s High Implementation Panel (AUHIP). For instance, before talks broke down an April 4, 2012, the delegation of the Republic of South Sudan accepted the February 10, 2012 memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Non-aggression pact, the June 29 and July 30, 2012 agreements to create a safe Demilitarized Border Zones. However, the Sudan delegation rejected these proposals, again counting on its perceived military might over South Sudan. 

On March 30, 2012, AUHIP leader, Thabo Mbeki called a Second Extraordinary meeting of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM) at the level of the two respective defence ministers, but the Sudanese defence minister arrived in Addis Ababa three days late, apparently evading participation in the crucial deliberations,” the petition states. 

In their petition, they have further illustrated that South Sudan’s desire for peaceful coexistence between the two neighbouring states, South Sudan leadership has been consistent in making it clear that it will only fight in self-defence. Despite the aerial bombardments listed above, South Sudan’s armed forces – the SPLA has never responded in kind; that is attacking SAF position inside Sudan. Since the talks broke down in Addis Ababa in early April, as a result of Sudanese delegation’s refusal to sign deals, Sudan’s true motive that is the invasion of Unity State continued. 

The SPLA positions inside South Sudan continued to come under heavy attack from SAF in and around Panthou (Heglig). On March 26, 2012, SPLA repulsed an SAF attack and pursued them past Panthou (Heglig), resulting in temporary takeover of the town. They withdrew two days later to give the AU mediators a chance to find a solution. The last straw was on April 10, 2012 when another heavy attack was repulsed, and the SPLA decided to take over the town to deter further attacks from there, a move that is now receiving unwarranted criticism, because Khartoum seems to have duped the global community. 
  
The petition states that despite the current deadlock, South Sudan is committed to peace, and continues to call for immediate resumptions of talks. This is best illustrated by South Sudan President, Salva Kiir Mayardit’s statement that South Sudan has no intention to remain in Heglig. It is prepared to “withdraw its forces from Heglig, as long as an internationally – monitored mechanism is put in place to guarantee that the area cannot be used to launch further attacks against South Sudan and the United Nations commits to deploy neutral forces to Heglig until the parties reach a final settlement of the disputed area.” This does not get any simpler, and we cannot say it any better. 
  
The Draft Petition concludes, “Finally, we want to reiterate that we are for peace and will work for it, but we want to also caution the international community to carefully look at the facts presented herein and consider our call for an immediate third party involvement in resolving Panthou conflict. This cannot happen unless Sudan is pressured to coming to the negotiation table and accepting the AUHIP recommendations for a positive way forward. 
  
Positive development which appears to please South Sudanese now 
African Union mediator Thabo Mbeki, the former South African president, has urged the UN Security Council to take action to stop the fighting between Sudan and South Sudan, warning that both sides are locked in a ‘logic of war’ with hardliners increasingly in control, UN website has reported. 
  
According to UN official website, US Ambassador Susan Rice, the current Security Council president, the Security Council members have promised to urgently discuss how to address the crisis, including the possibility of sanctions. 
  
Haile Menkerios, a special UN representative to Sudan, has concurred with Mr Mbeki describing the ongoing confrontations as a disturbing situation in which both sides are locked in ‘a logic of war’ as Ms Rice put. 

“They stressed that hardliners are winning the day in both Juba and Khartoum and urged the Security Council to engage with both governments directly to convince them to walk back their positions.” 

Officials have noted that Sudan has responded with fierce aerial bombardments, following a border conflict between Sudan and South Sudan escalated when the South seized the disputed oil town of Heglig. 

Observers have surveyed that the fighting is the bloodiest ever since South Sudan broke away from Sudan last July and became the world’s newest nation. 
  
South Sudan’s ambassador to UN, Agnes Oswaha has insisted that her country has taken Heglig out of self-defence and secondly for the reason that the Sudan army has been using the area as their operation base to wage attacks on the Republic of South Sudan. 

Sudan’s UN Ambassador Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman, said any sanctions the Security Council discusses should be directed at South Sudan because of its seizure of Heglig.