DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT HEAVY FIGHTING IN SOUTHERN SUDAN, SECRETARY-GENERAL

SAYS HOSTILITIES ‘SERIOUS VIOLATION’ OF COMPREHENSIVE PEACE AGREEMENT

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the reports of heavy fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) on 28 November in the town of Malakal in Upper Nile state, Southern Sudan.  These hostilities constitute a serious violation of the security arrangements of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

While the situation in Malakal is relatively calm this afternoon, tension remains.  A joint military delegation comprising high-level officers from SPLA and SAF, and the UNMIS (United Nations Mission in the Sudan) Force Commander has arrived in Malakal to assess the situation.

The Secretary-General appeals to the Government of National Unity and the Government of Southern Sudan to make all possible efforts to contain the situation, and expresses the hope that any differences in the area will be resolved peacefully.

Some civilian United Nations staff have been temporarily relocated to other locations in Southern Sudan.

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For information media • not an official record