UN: South Sudan violence more deadly than Darfur
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- Created on Monday, 01 June 2009 12:43
- Written by Pachodo.org News Room
Hundreds have died, thousands have been displaced and scores of villages razed in the south, which was ravaged in a civil war with the north that lasted more than two decades. A peace deal signed in 2005 ended that war.
But in 2003, before the southern deal was reached, another conflict erupted in Darfur that the United Nations says has killed up to 300,000 people, though the government puts the number at 10,000.
"In recent months, the death rate in southern Sudan from violent conflict has been higher than in Darfur," the U.N. special representative to Sudan, Ashraf Qazi, said Sunday.
Creating a peaceful environment before national elections in 2010, and a referendum on southern independence set for 2011 under the peace deal, should be a priority for Sudanese authorities and the world, he said.
"A secure environment is extremely important for the conduct of elections and the referendum," Qazi said.
Many of the south's key oil regions, among them Jonglei and Upper Nile, have been paralyzed in recent months by bloody tribal clashes linked to long-standing rows over cattle.
Analysts fear the renewed fighting could spread among the territory's highly armed population, which is growing increasingly angry at the slow spread of development.
A U.N. official said in April the Darfur fighting had subsided into a "low-intensity conflict" in which around 130 to 150 people were dying every month. The United States and its allies disagreed with that description.
Some 2 million people died in the north-south civil war fought over ideological, cultural and religious differences and inflamed by the discovery of oil, mostly in the south.
Khartoum backed several southern militias during the war and southerners say many inter-tribal wounds have yet to heal.
Both southern officials and aid workers say the new fighting is draining resources and hurting the fragile peace deal.
South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, who has blamed the spike in fighting on troublemakers intent on showing the south cannot rule itself, says he expects conflicts to worsen before the vote.
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Look! you cannot build a house and leave the roof open! For if the run comes, it could possibly wet all the properties that are inside the house. Same to the top leaders of Southern Sudan. Some are so racist and weak. they just don't care about the life of civilians that they are ruling, but they mostly care deeply about their paycheque, and resources and lands - (We will leave no one out including Salva Kiir himself!) They could not even control the tribal conflicts with in the country. We think Kiir might have borrowed some of El Bashir's logics of Ruling! Omar give guns and bullets to civilians and Kiir leaves the civilians to kill themselves. Very smart move!!!! You know what. I think we seem to refreshing back to the time of William Nyuon, Karbino Kuany, and slightly Dr. Garang De Mabior! Secoundly, we need a new leader who can handle both inside and outside threats within our nation, southern sudan! We believe there are good leaders in southern Sudan, but due to racism in their leadership duties and love of money and power, our people of southern Sudan perish without a strong, fearless, and a leader who likes & cares about all tribes of southern sudan alike!
If Salva Kiir expects the situation to get worse, then who will be safe? And, if he says, "Southern Sudan cannot rule themselves," we believe it is due to his lack of good leadership! If he, Kiir whats to lead our people into endless hole of darkness, why not find someone who can show him (Mr. Southern Sudan President Salva Kiir) how to follow instead of leading?
Please! No body wants to see another war taking place between north and south because of religion, resources, idealogies and political issues. We say, " We want southern sudan to perminently be separated state from northern/Khartoum's!" We want it to be like that so far. South Sudan apart from north sudan!