Press Statement regarding Upper Nile State Incident

The mass media have been reporting statements ascribed to the official Spokesman of the SPLA that militia belonging to the SPLM-DC attacked an area in Upper Nile State killing a number of citizens and looting cattle.

We would like to make the following clear:

1.Neither the SPLM-DC nor its Chairman has militia in any part of Sudan. We made an attestation to this effect to the Political Parties Affairs Council.

2.The SPLA has a presence in the area mentioned. How did it allow militia to attack innocent civilians and turns around to trade unfounded accusations? Where is its role in the defence of the citizens?

3.The Official Spokesman of the SPLA must provide evidence to his wild allegation, otherwise he will be liable to legal proceedings.

4. It is the same official Spokesman who described as a "lie" our statement last July on the arrest of two of our members in Wadakona. Now, the Sudanese people know who is the liar for one of the detainees did address a press conference in Khartoum in which he related his ordeal and showed to the audience the signs of torture in his body. What credibility does he have?

5.The SPLA must present its evidence to the courts as there is nobody above the law.

6.Our party has no interest in being involved in violence as we are aspiring to win the general elections which cannot be held except under conditions of peace and security.

We know what is behind the targeting of the SPLM-DC. It is a plot hatched by the SPLM which is scared about the popular support the SPLM-DC is getting day by day. After it failed miserably in its attempts to obstruct our Founding National Delegates' Congress which was an unqualified success, the SPLM has resorted to branding us as promoters of violence in an attempt to close the door against our political activities. But they forget that such procedures could only be consummated before the courts of law.

It is a pity that the SPLA is being dragged into political battles which is a violation of the Constitution and the law.

We pay our heartfelt condolences for the lives of the innocent civilians who lost their lives in this unfortunate incident and we call for a thorough investigation by neutral parties in order to uncover those responsible for this incident for the law to take its course.

The Information Department
SPLM-DC.