Sudan: top UN envoy speaks out against shooting of officers

The top United Nations envoy to Sudan today strongly condemned the shooting by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) of a military observer with the world body and a national monitor with the Sudanese forces.

Ashraf Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative, called on the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) to identify the SPLA soldier or soldiers responsible for wounding the two officers and to bring those behind the “egregious act” to justice.

He “strongly urges the parties not to allow this incident to impede or interfere with implementation of the Abyei road map, which is so vital to maintaining the CPA [Comprehensive Peace Agreement] process,” referring to the 2005 pact ending the long-running north-south civil war in Sudan.

The main parties of Sudan’s Government of National Unity recently unveiled a joint plan to resolve their dispute over the situation in the oil-rich area around Abyei, which lies close to the boundary between the north and south of the country.

The plan follows deadly violence last month that led to the destruction of much of Abyei and the sudden displacement of tens of thousands of residents, prompting concern from senior UN officials about the grave humanitarian situation and the threat to the CPA.

The shooting occurred in Agok, where thousands of Sudanese displaced from Abyei have taken temporary shelter.