Rebel leader appeals for aid

2004-05-11 20:16

Nairobi - The leader of a rebel group in southern Sudan on Tuesday appealed for urgent humanitarian aid to be delivered to tens of thousands of displaced people after attacks by pro-government militia forces.

"The international community should not turn a blind eye" to the plight of civilians in Shilluk Kingdom, Lam Akol, the head of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-United (SPLM-United) told a news conference in Nairobi.

More than 70 000 civilians have been made homeless because of the fighting, which began in the first week of March in violation of a ceasefire, according to the rebel movement, which last October merged with the country's main rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA).

In April, independent ceasefire monitors confirmed that Khartoum-backed militias had attacked civilians in Shilluk Kingdom, in the Upper Nile region, and gave a figure of 70 000 displaced.

Lam Akol, who recently visited the area, described their condition as "miserable", explaining that many were living on islands with inadequate shelter and were surviving by eating only water lilies.

"It was the strategy of the GOS (government of Sudan) militia not only to burn food crops but also to torch the grass, abundant at this time of year, and used in building huts," Lam Akol said.

He reported that the militia forces had been repelled from Shilluk and that the area was now calm.

"The needs identified include food and non-food items, (such as) plastic sheets, mosquito nets, blankets, fishing items and cooking utensils. The food items should also include seeds to be sown this rainy season," said the rebel leader.

Some help had been provided by Norwegian People's Aid, said Lam Akol, expressing regret that Operation Lifeline Sudan, which is made up of several UN agencies and non-governmental organisations working in southern Sudan, had pulled out of some areas of Shilluk for security reasons, even though fighting had not reached these areas.

- AFP