SUDAN / FIGHTING

Hundreds of people have been killed in recent fighting in southern Sudan, according to a senior official of the Government of southern Sudan. The fighting, which erupted last week between the southern army SPLA (Sudan People's Liberation Army) and forces loyal to the renegade commander General George Athor. UNMIS

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:35
• Production Date: 15 February 2011
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS ASSISTANCE MISSION IN SUDAN - UNMIS
• Subject Topical: POLITICAL CONDITIONS; POLITICAL MOVEMENTS; INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS; PEACE AND SECURITY
• Geographic Subject: SUDAN
• MAMS Id: U110215b

Description

STORY: SUDAN / FIGHTING
TRT: 2:35
SOURCE: UNMIS / NEWS HANDOUT
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 15 FEBRUARY 2011 JUBA, SUDAN / 07 FEBRUARY 2011, FANGAK, SUDAN

Shotlist

15 FEBRUARY 2011, JUBA, SUDAN

1. Wide shot, press conference
2. Med shot, journalist and official
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Pagan Amum, Secretary General, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM):
“We express our deep sorry and pain to a loss of nearly 200 people, one hundred and ninety-seven people in Fangak County as a result of heinous attack by George Athor and forces on defenseless civilian populations. It was a massacre of our people and it’s really very bad.”
4. Med shot, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Pagan Amum, Secretary General, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM):
“Armed groups are being financed being armed being sent into southern Sudan from the north. You know that George Athor who has just caused the massacre in Fangak, his guns are coming from Khartoum sent to him by helicopters and other means. You know that many militia groups are now being given guns, trucks and being sent into southern Sudan.”
6. Med shot, cameramen
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Pagan Amum, Secretary General, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM):
“The government of Southern Sudan is capable to protect the people and it is going to do that and this is not going to be a contradiction. So our priory is peace reconciliations and reaching out, but also the protecting the people of Southern Sudan, protecting the stability new state and we are confident that Southern Sudan in the end will defeat all these plans to destabilize it, it make it cause to fail.”
8. Wide shot, people leaving the press conference

FILE – NEWS HANDOUT - 7 FEBRUARY 2011, FANGAK, SUDAN (ACCESS ALL)

9. Med shot, dead body being pulled out of a river
10. Wide shot, dead bodies on the ground
11. Med shot, various dead bodies
12. Various shots, dead bodies being carried away
13. Med shot, bodies in mass grave
14. Med shot, men putting the bodies in the grave
15. Various shots, dead bodies in the grave
16. Wide shot, people standing near the mass grave
17. Med shot, wounded person carried
18. Med shot, two injured men on the ground
19. Wide shot, people carrying the injured

Storyline

Hundreds of people have been killed in recent fighting in southern Sudan, according to a senior official of the Government of southern Sudan. The fighting, which erupted last week between the southern army SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army) and forces loyal to the renegade commander General George Athor.

This comes just one month after the Southern Sudan referendum vote, which saw the South predominately vote to secede and to become independent in July, but the region continues to be pledged by insecurity.

SOUNDBITE (English) Pagan Amum, Secretary General, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM):
“We express our deep sorry and pain to a loss of nearly 200 people, one hundred and ninety-seven people in Fangak County as a result of heinous attack by George Athor and forces on defenseless civilian populations. It was a massacre of our people and it’s really very bad.”

Amum accused the government of Khartoum for arming and fuelling the insecurity in the south in order to destabilize the new nations.

SOUNDBITE (English) Pagan Amum, Secretary General, Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLM):
“Armed groups are being financed being armed being sent into southern Sudan from the north. You know that George Athor who has just caused the massacre in Fangak, his guns are coming from Khartoum sent to him by helicopters and other means. You know that many militia groups are now being given guns, trucks and being sent into southern Sudan.”

The renegade commander accused of leading last weeks attack, George Athor rebelled against the southern government after losing the gubernatorial seat for Jonglei in April last year.

Members of George Athor’s group signed a ceasefire agreement with the government of South on the 5 January, days before the southern referendum. Last weeks attack has raised more questions about the security of the region.

SOUNDBITE (English) Pagan Amum, Secretary General, Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLM):
“The government of Southern Sudan is capable to protect the people and it is going to do that and this is not going to be a contradiction. So our priory is peace reconciliations and reaching out, but also the protecting the people of Southern Sudan, protecting the stability new state and we are confident that Southern Sudan in the end will defeat all these plans to destabilize it, it make it cause to fail.

As southern Sudan moves towards becoming an independent nation, insecurity remains a major challenge. Last year the president of the government of Southern Sudan, President Salva Kiir offered amnesty to all those who had launched rebellions in the south.