Spinning the Invasion of Sudan

Don't let it get you dizzy.

"Planes attack Sudan citizens, UN aide says

NAIROBI - The for­mer top UN human­itar­ian of­ficial in Sudan warned on Tuesday that the country’s military is carrying out crimes against human­ity in the country’s south­ern Nuba Mountains in acts that re­m­ind him of Darfur.

Fol­lowing a vis­it to south­ern Sudan, Mukesh Kapila said he saw military planes striking villagers, the de­struc­tion of food stocks, and “lit­erally a scorched-earth pol­icy.’’

Kapila said the attacks re­m­inded him of what he witnessed in Sudan’s Darfur region in 2003 and 2004, when the Arab govern­ment tar­geted black tribes. Kapila served as the United Nation’s top human­itar­ian of­ficial in Sudan at the time. He said that world govern­ments must act to pre­vent an­oth­er Darfur-type sit­uation in the Nuba Mountains....

Kapila said the Nuba Mountains region is fac­ing an oncom­ing hunger cri­sis because the region’s res­idents have not been working the fields for fear of attack by military planes.

Sudan has refused to let aid agencies into the region. The UN, the United States, and oth­er world govern­ments and groups have con­demned the attacks taking place against civil­ians.

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"2d day of clashes with South Sudan

MOMBASA, Kenya - Sudan and South Sudan engaged in a second day of direct military clashes and aerial bombardments Saturday in what the South described as a “limited war’’ between the two nations that will continue “off and on.’’ A South Sudanese military spokesman said fighting had broken out near the town of Kersana (New York Times)."  

Honestly, it is as this blog predicted after Bush's great diplomatic success of gaining a vote for independence. The oil, combined with the fact that South Sudan is the USraeli arms-smuggling hub in the region, puts the entire operation in perspective. On top of it you have the U.N. tool being used against Sudan, a regime that supports Palestinian rights.  

You are either with the agenda or against the agenda, folks. That's the way the world's rulers see this thing, and they transmit it quite well through their mouthpieces. 

"Obama urges an end to fighting in Sudan

WASHINGTON - President Obama urged Sudan and South Sudan to end their fighting and begin negotiations to settle the intensifying conflict between the newly separated countries.

In a video message recorded in the White House and released late Friday, Obama put part of the onus on the government of Sudan, which he said “must stop its military actions, including aerial bombardments.’’ He said the heated words between the countries had raised the risk of war at a time when neither side can afford continued conflict.

This the same guy signing the orders slinging drone strikes around all over the planet?

Obama also issued a warning to South Sudan officials. “Likewise, the government of South Sudan must end its support for armed groups inside Sudan, and it must cease its military actions across the border,’’ the president said.  

Oh, so OBAMA KNOWS SOMETHING!!!!

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"Border dispute prompts attack on South Sudan" Associated Press, April 23, 2012

Okay, that's your headline narrative. Please keep it in mind as you read the reports.

BENTIU, South Sudan - Sudanese armed forces launched an attack more than 6 miles inside South Sudan’s border, an official said Sunday, days after South Sudan announced it was pulling its troops from a disputed border town to avoid an all-out war between the two countries.  

I'm starting to feel a little woozy.

Ground troops from Sudan launched three waves of attacks, said Major General Mac Paul, deputy director of military intelligence for South Sudan....

In a separate development, media reports said a Muslim mob set ablaze a Catholic church frequented by Southern Sudanese in Sudan’s capital Khartoum. The church in the city’s Al-Jiraif district was built on a disputed plot of land, but the Saturday night incident appeared to be part of the fallout from ongoing hostilities between Sudan and South Sudan. 

Sigh. Am I supposed to get all angry at the false flag of sectarianism because I'm Catholic, or.... ????  I hope you understand why I'm sick of this s***, readers.  

Yeah, WHO WOULD BE BENEFITING from a WAR BEING GINNED UP right in the heart of East Africa?

Sudan and South Sudan have engaged in several clashes over the past two weeks around Heglig, which is claimed by both countries. Heglig is the site of a major oil facility, which supplies around half of Sudan’s oil.  

Honestly, WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED that OIL is at the BOTTOM of IT ALL????!!!!!

Sudan and South Sudan have been drawing closer to a full-scale war in recent months over the unresolved issues of sharing oil revenues and a disputed border.  

Well, at least the agenda-pushing paper is letting you know where we are going here.

The international community, led by the United States, has called for the two countries to stop all military actions against each other and restart negotiations to solve their disputes.

South Sudan broke away from Sudan last July after an independence vote, the culmination of a 2005 peace treaty that ended decades of war that killed more than 2 million people. Despite the treaty, violence between the two countries has been on the rise.

Another Bush success turned failure.

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"Sudan sends forces into disputed area" by Michael Onyiego  |  Associated Press, April 24, 2012

RUBKONA, South Sudan — Sudanese warplanes bombed a market and an oil field in South Sudan on Monday, killing at least two people, after Sudanese ground forces had reportedly crossed into South Sudan with tanks and artillery, elevating the risk of all-out war between the two old enemies.

The international community urged the two neighbors to talk out their disputes, which include arguments over where the border lies and over ownership of oil resources.

But President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan vowed to press ahead with his military campaign until all southern troops or affiliated forces are chased out of the north.

The bombs fell from two MiG 29 jets onto Rubkona’s market with a whistling sound, turning stalls where food and other household items are sold into fiery heaps of twisted metal....  

Pakistanis under drone attacks understand.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the United States strongly condemns Sudan’s military incursion and called for the immediate halt of aerial and artillery bombardment in South Sudan....  

Who "incurred?"

Sudanese armed forces launched an attack Sunday more than 6 miles inside South Sudan’s border, even though the south announced on Friday it was pulling its troops from the disputed oil town of Heglig to avoid an all-out war. South Sudan had invaded Heglig earlier this month, saying it belonged to the south....  

Oh, is THAT WHAT OBAMA KNEW, and WHY, oh, WHY did my AGENDA-PUSHING PRESS OBFUSCATE THAT FACT until NOW?  

Btw, isn't that the kind of thing Saddam Hussein claimed when he invaded Kuwait?

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So it was the SOUTH that QUIETLY INVADED WEEKS AGO and all I get is a BELATED SENTENCE?

Back to your regularly-scheduled narrative:

"Sudan continues bombardment in border region" April 25, 2012|By Josh Kron

KAMPALA, Uganda - As aerial bombardments continued in the border region between Sudan and South Sudan on Tuesday, the South Sudanese president, Salva Kiir, met with President Hu Jintao of China, a crucial friend to both nations, saying that Sudan had “declared war’’ on his country, a spokesman for the South said.

Sudanese warplanes dropped bombs on South Sudanese villages near the border late Monday and into Tuesday morning, said South Sudan’s minister of information, Barnaba Benjamin Marial. One attack targeted the village of Tor, he said; another took aim at the village of Panakuach.

“They come and they bomb. If Juba was at the border, they would fly over and bomb Juba,’’ he said, referring to South Sudan’s capital. “When you are attacked, what do you do?’’

Months of tensions reached a peak this month when South Sudan captured the important oil-producing region of Heglig from Sudan, continuing a tug of war over the resource that powers the economies of both nations.  

Well, you know. Some invasions and incursions are more egregious than others, SIGH!!!!!

Sudan retook control of Heglig last week, but the reports of new attacks came a day after Sudan faced criticism for bombing the South Sudanese regional capital of Bentiu, apparently leaving several dead. On Tuesday, that criticism continued, with White House press secretary Jay Carney, saying: “We strongly condemn the Sudan’s military incursion into South Sudan.’’

Unreal!  

So other than Obama's vague reference, one must assume the AmeriKan government endorsed the South's invasion, 'eh?

The violence, arguably the worst since a 2005 peace agreement ended decades of civil war and paved the way for South Sudan to become independent, came as Kiir conducted a state visit to China, a critical trade partner for the two nations.

The visit was planned long before the violence erupted, South Sudanese officials have said, but the conflict with Sudan was at the forefront of the trip.

“This war is not just about Heglig,’’ Marial said. “The war is about the remaining outstanding issues of the comprehensive peace agreement; it is about the idea that Sudan wants to occupy our oil fields.’’

Whose oil fields?

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Time to activate a notorious U.N. tool:

"African Union adds pressure on Sudan; Calls for an end to aerial attacks on South towns" by Kirubel Tadesse  |  Associated Press, April 26, 2012

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - The African Union called on Sudan to stop its aerial bombardment of South Sudan and for both countries to cease hostilities, as an uneasy calm settled over the south Wednesday....

In a move that might ease tensions, South Sudan released 13 captured Sudanese soldiers. On their way home, the released soldiers stopped late Wednesday in Egypt, which mediated their release, Egyptian Foreign Ministry official Mohammed Morsi said. The freed soldiers were accompanied by Red Cross staff members.

President Salva Kiir of South Sudan said Tuesday that Sudan had “declared war’’ on his country following the north’s repeated bombing of the south. Kiir’s comments, made during a trip to China, signaled a rise in rhetoric between the rival nations. Neither side has officially declared war.

President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan gave a fiery speech last week in which he said there will be no negotiations with the “poisonous insects’’ who are challenging Sudan’s claim to a disputed territory near the border.

In January, the landlocked South Sudan shut down oil production and accused Sudan of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of oil it shipped through its northern neighbor. Sudan responded by bombing the south’s oil fields.

Provocation before invasion.

Earlier this month, South Sudan invaded the oil-rich town of Heglig, which was in the control of Sudan but which both countries claim.  

Yeah, NO ONE MAKING a BIG DEAL out of THAT!

South Sudan’s government spokesman Barnaba Marial Benjamin said that troops from the south had withdrawn from Heglig on Monday, but that Sudan continued with aerial bombardment of the south....

In the South Sudan region of Panakuac, which has seen days of air and ground attacks, violence subsided Wednesday and people were out in the streets.  

I am ALWAYS FOR THAT, folks!!!

South Sudan government spokesman Benjamin also said there was no reported incidents of violence by Wednesday afternoon in much of the south, though he cautioned he was still receiving reports from various regions.

A Chinese official said Wednesday that Kiir had to cut short his visit to China because of the problems at home. Kiir originally planned to spend five days in China, a key economic and strategic partner for the newly independent country.

It remained unclear exactly when he would return to South Sudan.

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Thankfully that is where the coverage ended because I'm feeling like I want to puke. 

Next Day Update:

"Sudan declares emergency in border areas" Associated Press, April 30, 2012

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Sudan declared a state of emergency Sunday in areas bordering South Sudan, giving authorities wide powers of arrest a day after they detained three foreigners in a flashpoint town along the frontier.

The detentions and state of emergency heightened tensions along the border between the old rivals, who in the past month came to the brink of war because of renewed fighting in disputed areas.

Sudanese officials have accused South Sudan of using foreign fighters during its assault on the oil-rich Heglig region, which Sudan claims. Southern Sudanese troops briefly captured the area, amid rising international concerns of an escalation in the fighting between the countries.

A Sudanese army spokesman claimed on state television late Saturday that four people arrested in the Heglig region, including a Briton, a Norwegian, a South African, and a South Sudanese, had military backgrounds. He alleged they were carrying out military activities in Heglig, but did not elaborate. He said the arrests prove government claims that South Sudan uses foreign fighters.

But a representative for one of the three said Sunday that they were on a humanitarian mine-clearing mission.  

Obviously a cover story.

South Sudan split from Sudan last year, but the countries have yet to agree on border demarcation and divvying up oil revenues and resources. South Sudan invaded Heglig earlier this month, saying it belonged to the south. Sudan later retook the town; Sudanese forces say they pushed out the South Sudanese while South Sudan says its troops pulled out to avoid an all-out war. 


The invasion is just casually accepted, and that instigation is described as if it occurred amid the confusion. 

Hey, it's my fault. What do I expect from spin?

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