Khartoum accuses South Sudan of non-commitment

Sudanese army has accused South Sudan of not committing to the withdrawal of its forces from Sudan, but downplayed the effect of Juba’s mobilisation of forces on the border.“South Sudan has not yet committed itself to immediate and unconditional withdrawal of its troops from Sudan where South Sudan’s army is still present at six points which constitutes a clear rejection to implement the requirements of the road-map of the African Union Peace and Security Council,” Sudanese army spokesman Al-Sawarmy Khalid Saad said in a statement yesterday.He added that the non-commitment of South Sudan to withdraw its forces was confirmed by the statements of South Sudan army spokesman.Accusations“We must reiterate that South Sudan still occupies six points inside Sudan, in contradiction of its claims in a letter to the UN Security Council that it has completely withdrawn,” Saad said.He further noted that the matter seriously affects the realisation of the two people’s interests and directly impacts the security and stability on the two neighbouring countries’ borders.Saad said that Juba’s behavior contradicted a UN Security Council resolution and all the agreements signed by the two countries, particularly security arrangements signed in Addis Ababa in September 2012 and the timetable for the implementation of those arrangements.No threatMeanwhile, Saad downplayed the effect of South Sudan’s reported military mobilisation near Sudan’s oil-rich Higlieg area on the border with South Sudan.“There are South Sudanese forces within their territories, but we have not seen any reinforcements for them that could pose a threat on Higlieg,” said Saad, adding that the Sudanese armed forces were closely following up the situation and ready to repulse any aggression.On September 27, 2012, Sudan and South Sudan signed a package of agreements on various issues during a presidential summit in the capital of Ethiopia. Witnessed by members of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan, the two sides inked three deals on cooperation, security and post-secession matters.