Advarslerne om Sudan og Sydsudan som etniske krudttønder er mange – og lunten er kort
South Sudan’s ruling party has rejected the election victory of Ahmed Haroun, indicted (tiltalt) for alleged war crimes committed in Darfur, BBC online writes Monday.
He has been declared the winner of the governorship poll in the oil-rich South Kordofan state, which borders potential flashpoints Darfur and South Sudan.
The ruling party in South Sudan, which is set to become independent in July, says the vote was rigged. Mr Haroun defeated Abdelaziz al-Hilu, a senior official of South Sudan’s SPLM, according to the official results.
Analysts fear the dispute could spark yet another conflict in Sudan. A civil war is still raging in Darfur, while some 1,5 million people died during decades of conflict between north and south.
The International Criminal Court accuses Mr Haroun of mobilising Arab militias to commit genocide (folkedrab) against black African residents of Darfur when he was the minister there in 2003-4. He has denied any wrong-doing. President Omar al-Bashir is also wanted on similar charges.
Many residents of the Nuba Mountains region of South Kordofan also fought for the SPLM and it is feared they could take up arms once more.
– If it starts, no-one can stop it – it will affect the south, it will affect the north. With the war in Darfur, we are heading for dangerous times, Hafiz Mohamed of the Justice Africa think-tank told the BBC’s Network Africa programme.
President Bashir has promised to accept South Sudan’s independence but tensions have been rising recently over the disputed area of Abyei, which also borders South Kordofan.
