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Violence precedes south Sudan vote
Clashes involving south Sudan's army are reported in two states on the eve of poll which could split the country.
Last Modified: 08 Jan 2011 15:20 GMT
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The referendum is widely expected to result in independece for the south [EPA] At least six people have been killed in clashes between militias and south Sudan's army, a military spokesman has said a day before southerners are to begin voting in a referendum on whether to split from the north.Philip Aguer, a spokesman for the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), said his forces had ambushed fighters loyal to Galwak Gai, a militia leader in Unity state, on Friday and killed two of them.
He said four more fighters were killed on Satuday after Gai's men launched a counter-attack.
"They were coming from the north to disrupt the referendum. It is a known game. The spoilers are always here. They definitely came from Khartoum," he said.
The SPLA captured 26 fighters on Friday, he said.
Aguer told Al Jazeera that he had also received reports of one death in an attack by the Misseriya tribe in Abyei, the border region which is claimed by both the north and the south. The Misseriya are loyal to the Khartoum government in the north.
'Ready for secession'
Southern leaders have regularly accused north Sudan of backing militias in an attempt to disrupt the referendum on whether the south should secede. Northern leaders have dismissed the accusations.
Earlier this week, SPLA commanders said they are well equipped to deal with any situation that may arise after the referendum, including an attack from the north.
The governor of the Upper Nile state at the border between north and south told Al Jazeera that secession should be peaceful, but that any northern aggression would be met with force.
"What do we do, we fight. We don't want to fight but we have the capacity to protect ourselves and to defend and our territory," Simon Kuon Pouch said.
Speaking to Al Jazeera on Friday, Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, said he was concerned about possible instability in the south following the vote.
"The stability of the south is very important to us because any instability in the south will have an impact on the north. If there is a war in your neighbour's house, you will not be at peace," he said.
"The south suffers from many problems. It's been at war since 1959. The south does not have the ability to provide for its citizens or create a state or authority."
'Peaceful co-existence'
However, Salva Kiir, the south Sudanese president, said on Saturday that an independent south would be peaceful and work with its northern neighbours.
"Today there is no return to war," he said.
"The referendum is not the end of the journey but rather the beginning of a new one," he said alluding to the six-month transitional period to recognition as an independent state stipulated by the 2005 peace agreement between the Khartoum government and the former rebels in the south.
"There is no substitute for peaceful co-existence."
Voting in the south starts on Sunday and will continue for seven days.
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
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