CAIRO: The Sudanese government has lashed out at the United States envoy at the United Nations Security Council Susan Rice over comments she made over Khartoum's actions in Southern Kordofan. Media outlets have reported the indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Southern Kordofan over the past few weeks, which has highlighted the troubles between Khartoum and the global community. The Sudanese government maintains that its army is battling a separatist force and vehemently condemned the American envoy's statements over the situation in Southern Kordofan. Rice, in a statement delivered at the UN Security Council on July 22, said the US was deeply concerned over the “alarming and credible allegations” of violence committed by the Sudanese military in the southern state. “These include acts of extreme cruelty and abuse against civilians that, if true, may constitute crimes against humanity – extra-judicial killings, house-to-house searches, abductions, arbitrary arrests, and violence motivated by differences of religion or ethnicity,” the statement added. A report prepared by the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) documented “especially egregious” acts committed by SAF during the fighting, saying they may amount to “war crimes and crimes against humanity” which merit investigations. UNMIS report also complained that humanitarian access to the affected population was hampered throughout the conflict. It further accused SAF and its allied forces of treating the mission with “gross contempt and a total disregard” of its status as a UN body. “The United States strongly supports an investigation by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights into these allegations and calls on all parties to provide unfettered access and cooperation to any investigation,” the US envoy said. She went on to say that her country condemns “in the strongest terms any deliberate targeting of civilians, including UN humanitarian personnel.” Sudan's ruling National Congress Party (NCP) withdrew commitment to a framework agreement it signed under AU mediation on June 29 in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa with the SPLM to deescalate the situation in South Kordofan. President Omar al-Bashir openly faulted his negotiators for signing the deal and said that the SPLM must conform to the rules regulating political parties in the north. Thus, he ordered the army to sustain its operations in South Kordofan until it is “purged” and the SPLM's leader Abdul Aziz al-Hilu is arrested. BM
