Press Release  

January 2, 2008

Response to the Sudan Armed Force (SAF)  attacks Kiir River in Northern Bahr El Ghzal State, we  the community of Aweil of Northern Bhar El Ghazal state, would like   to bring to the attention of the international community, Southern Sudanese and Aweil communities in diaspora and elsewhere in Sudan this sorrowful and well planned attack by  SAF and other Arab tribes  in the North backed by the ruling National Congress Party. The attacked resulted in the displacement of citizens, women, Children and elder people are killed by the attackers.   The community of Aweil will also reveal facts and names of the people who are behind these attacks and their political intentions that they want to achieve through this act.  

As a natural event, the displaced people of Northern Bhar El Ghazal State began moving back home after the signature of the peace to settle back in their original home.   Until recently, the Missiriya community on the northern border neighborhood demanded that each returnee pays 200 Sudanese Pounds an equivalent of 100 USD for passage.   The returnees rejected and that led to the killings of IDPs who were returning from the North.   This also led to the blockade of the border to sanction flow of commodities to the areas of Northern Bhar El Ghazal State.   A group of students also returning home were stopped and brutally killed.   Beside killing and torture, eight men from the displaced were castrated, four people died and the other four are now being in Aweil town, seven women were also raped at a gun point.

Another plan used as a trigger is the insistence of the Missiriya nomads to enter Northern Bhar El Ghazal areas for grazing with their arms.  

H. E the president of the Government of Southern Sudan directed that the Missiriya nomads be allowed passage with their livestocks into Northern Bahar El Ghazal areas without their arms.   The Missiriya refused and launch their first attacks on the 21^st December 2007 on the areas of Tom Kiew, War Rou, Marial Agep, War Guet and Majok Yith thiou.   Attacks on these areas continued up to the date of issuing this statement.   Consequently, villages of the said areas were completely burnt down, livestock looted and driven northward, women and children taken as captives by the attacking Missiriya militias.

In the first attack, 135 civilians mainly returning IDPs have been killed in the above places, in the second and third attacks, number of 400 civilians have also been killed and over 50,000 displaced from their homes. Their properties have also been lost.    These areas that are still under intense attack are twenty kilometers south of 1956 border.   About 340 Southern Sudanese living in the Missiriya areas North of 1956 border have been killed.   This massive killing took place in the areas of Meram and its surrounding

This large scale military attack onto the Dinka Land South of 1956 border is a well planned strategy by Sudanese Armed Forces and their intelligence, leading elements in the National Congress Party and Sudanese armed forces who hail from Missiriya planned and led mobilizing of the Missiriya to fight.   The invading Missirya are very well armed with heavy machine guns mounted on pick up mobile Land Cruisers.

Mobilization for the attack started on the 8^th December 2007 in the areas of Fulla, Debob, Babanusa, Muglad, Seteb and Meram.   The following senior National Congress Party were in the mentioned areas mobilizing, facilitating finances and distributing arms, among them are:

1.       Lt. Gen (Rtd) Mahadi Babu Nimir former SAF chief of staff and former Sudanese Minister of Defense the tribal head and supervisor of the attack

2.       Gen. (Rtd) Fadhal Burma Nasir former member of the revolutinar council during Gen. Dhwar El Dhab Regime, mobilizing people for war

3.       Dr. Issa Abshir, former Deputy Governor of Southern Kordofan State

4.       Amir Muslam Mustaffa In Charge of mobilization of the arab tribes at the border and has been a ring leader of the previous attacks at the borders this year and now still executings the same directives in blocking the IDPs and other people coming to Southern Sudan

5.       Dir Dere Mohammed Ahmed, leading National Congress Party member, in charging of financing the operation and moral support to the Missiriya militias

6.       Maj. Gen. Jenet Hassan Al Amer, in charge of the operations.   Gen. Jenet was an attaché in the Sudanese Embassy in Egypt intentionally brought by the Minister of Energy Awadh Al Jazz to annex oil fields in the South to the North.

The intentions of these attacks were well planned at the National Congress Party and Sudanese Armed Force Level.   The Missiriya Community have been used ever since by the successive Sudanese regimes to fight the war on proxy.   The current situation is also another war being fought on proxy, all Missiriya warriors have been paid 2000 Sudanese Pounds each an equivalent of 1000 USD to go and fight.  

The wounded Missiriya warriors are currently getting treatment in standard hospitals run by the government.   Former Sudanese Prime Minister Sadique Mahadi visited the wounded this morning and expressed his support calling them Mujadeen.   This clearly demonstrates how wide  mobilization is.

The purpose of this attack is to stop returning IDPs who would be part of the census so that census does not go on well, to destabilize and derail border demarcation as agreed and scheduled by the joint sixth men committee and gradually to destroy the CPA.  

The community of Aweil at large stands to question the honesty of the National Congress Party and its allied militias towards peace and stability in the South.   The community of Aweil demands an international investigation into this crisis and calls upon the NCP with its militias to exercise refrains.   The community of Aweil further demands compensation of all the loss inflicted including the innocent villagers and IDPs killed, returning of the stolen livestock and retrieval of the abducted women and children.

The community of Aweil condemn with the toughest term any attempt to undermine and derail peace in the whole of Sudan .   The community of Aweil will always strive for peace.

Long Live CPA

Long Live Peace over the Sudan

Long Live the Unity of the people of Sudan at large  

Awiel Community in Juba

Southern Sudan

December 31, 2007