Pro-government militias in mobilisation drive

President Umar Hasan al-Bashir has vowed to foil what he called a southern rebel attempt to seize Wau, the capital of Bahr al-Ghazal, and set up its own state rich in oil revenues, according to news reports. The country’s Popular Defence Forces, formed in 1989, have announced a general state of mobilisation and alert, calling on all the government-allied ‘mujahidin’ (Islamic fighters) to gather quickly in their bases throughout the country, according to Sudanese television. The commander of the South Sudan Defence Forces (SSDF), Maj-Gen Paulino Matib, has also called for the mobilisation of his militias to resist attacks on garrison towns, including Wau; and to defend the government-controlled oilfields in southern Sudan, AFP reported on Tuesday. In addition, the pro-government Sudan Students’ Union has declared its willingness to raise brigades to proceed to the frontline in the cause of ‘jihad’, or holy war, the report added.