Harassment of civilians reported in Shilluk Kingdom

Armed groups including the Sudanese national army, military intelligence and various armed forces aligned to the government have abused civilians on several occasions in southern Sudan, the United States-funded Civilian Protection Monitoring Team (CPMT) reported. "There is an unmistakable pattern of looting of civilian livestock assets, which coupled with harassment and intimidation of civilians, spell grave humanitarian consequences for the IDP [internally displaced persons] in Malakal [in Upper Nile State]," the CPMT said in a new report released on Wednesday. "The government must immediately end the insecurity being posed by its allied forces in order to avert a humanitarian crisis in Malakal and surrounding areas. The local population should be allowed to resume their livelihoods and IDPs must feel safe to return to their homes and plant their crops before the end of the current rainy season," it added. Malakal, the headquarters of Upper Nile, has an estimated 35,000 IDPs, who, according to the CPMT, live under difficult humanitarian conditions. The IDPs fled into the town to escape instability that has been experienced in Shilluk Kingdom since the October 2003 defection of Lam Akol from the government-allied SPLM-United [Sudan People's Liberation Movement break-away faction) to the SPLM/A [Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army]. Lam Akol was a senior member of the SPLM/A before breaking away with others to form the SPLM/A-Nasir in a rebellion that split the movement in 1991. He again broke away in 1995, becoming chairman of SPLM-United, signed an agreement with the government in 1997 and served as its transport minister for five years. The CPMT report, which also carries reports of interviews with Sudanese government officials, details confirmed arrests and harassment between April and July in Malakal and nearby villages. The armed forces, it said, "shot at, intimidated and threatened civilians in areas around Malakal, causing fear among local residents and in most cases forcing them to abandon their life-sustaining economic activities such as fishing, collecting firewood and charcoal burning." "It is the responsibility of the government of Sudan to control members of its army and other armed elements within its ranks, notably the South Sudan Defense Forces, which is responsible for much of the destruction in the Shilluk Kingdom," it said. "The government must also ensure that its military officials are trained to abide by the international laws governing their conduct, and more specifically, the agreement between government and SPLM/A to protect non-combatant civilians and civilian facilities from military attack." According to the CPMT, government militias had also attacked villages on the north banks of the White Nile, west of Malakal, during March-April and killed at least one civilian. They also looted the villages. "The government must ensure that the perpetrators of these attacks are identified and punished," it said. Another investigation by the CPMT found that in July, armed men attacked Tonga village in the same region, where an estimated 24 civilians have been killed since March when the conflict in the Shilluk Kingdom intensified. During the attack, 11 civilians were abducted, of whom, six were killed. Some 32 head of cattle were looted. "The government of Sudan is reminded of its own commitment to refrain from targeting or intentionally attacking non-combatant civilians. [It] should take all precautions feasible to avoid the incidental loss of life, injury to civilians, and danger to public objects, as per the agreement [with the SPLM/A]," Brig-Gen Frank J. Toney, CPMT's program manager said in the report. The full report can be found at: www.cpmtsudan.org