Kadugli Bishop Appeals to UN to Stop Sudanese

BENTIU – Over 5,000 refugees have arrived in South Sudan’s Unity State after being displaced by fighting over the last month between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in the north Sudan state of South Kordofan last June.

Residents gather outside the UNMIS sector headquarters after fleeing fighting in Kadugli, the capital of South Kordofan, Sudan, Thursday, June 9, 2011. (UNMIS)s)

The SPLA say the fighting erupted after the SAF attempted to disarm them in the run up to South Sudan’s independence on July 9. During the North-South civil war disenfranchised groups from the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan joined the Southern-based SPLA in the war against Khartoum.

Since South Sudan became independent, Khartoum has demanded that SPLA members from North Sudan move to South Sudan, disarm or integrate into SAF. Khartoum says that the fighting, which began in Kadugali on July 5 was triggered by an SPLA attack on a police station.

Around 70,000 people are estimated to have been displaced by the fighting. Most have moved north but some like the 5,113 who entered Unity State moved southward into newly independent South Sudan.

On Thursday Unity State officials witnessed the Situation in Parieng County where many of the refugees had arrived.

Reverend Andudu Adam Elnail, the Anglican Bishop of Kadugli, detailed the deteriorating situation in his home state at a news conference on Friday.

“In my diocese, my offices all they were burned, and also the cyber café with all computers was burned. And my house was shot at and other denominations of churches were burned," he said. "As I speak now, the Catholic Church in Kadugli is occupied by the military. And many people have been killed. They are culling people from house-to-house. Also, some of my congregations, they give me very clear what they saw in the mass graves in Kadugli. And also there was some satellite image was brought to confirm what eyewitnesses they have saw.”

He warned that in the Nuba mountains, which is home to many pro-South Sudan groups, the situation is worsening with aerial attacks that are killing civilians. He added that this is the planting season and warned that the people of Southern Kordofan could face serious food shortages next year because so many have fled and there is no one to farm.

“There is a lot of killing going on and we consider this is ethnic cleansing, so that is why we are calling on the U.N. and the Security Council to consider what is going on in Sudan,” he said.

Reverend Andudu appealed to the U.N. Security Council to stop the bombing and authorize a fact-finding commission to go to Southern Kordofan to verify what is happening there. He also urged the council to press Khartoum to allow in humanitarian agencies to bring food and medicine to those in need and to authorize monitors to watch the situation.

Sudan's southern Kordofan is governed by Ahmed Haroun, who is wanted on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur by the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

Human rights groups say as many as 200,000 people have been displaced by fighting between Khartoum's army and pro-southern elements in Southern Kordofan which broke out on June 5. Activists say Sudan's military is targeting the state's ethnic Nuba people, many of whom backed the south during the 21-year civil war.

This is a state-sponsored ethnic cleansing campaign where the government of Sudan is killing its own people through a campaign of artillery shelling, aerial bombardment, and house-to-house killings,” he said.

Last month, a leaked draft U.N. report said Sudan's army and police may have committed war crimes in Southern Kordofan. But Khartoum has dismissed the report saying the information is biased and untrue.

Currently the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) is preparing to leave the country. Khartoum said it no longer wanted a U.N. presence in the country after the south became independent on July 9.

The U.N. Security Council is expected to discuss Sudan next Thursday, and could receive a briefing on the situation in Southern Kordofan at that time.

Madrid denies suspension of bond auction

MADRID — Spain was forced to pay sharply higher interest rates in a pair of bond auctions, reflecting raised investor fears over the country’s ability to handle its debts and avoid a bailout.

The Spanish Treasury says it sold €2.2 billion ($3.2 billion) in three-year notes carrying interest rates of 4.81 percent, and €1.1 billion of three-and-a-half year notes with a rate of 4.98 percent.

t the last comparable bond auction on July 7, three-year bonds had an interest rate of 4.3 percent.

Demand for Thursday’s sale was more than twice supply.

Spanish 10-year yields have jumped about 70 basis points to a high of 6.46 per cent since a euro region leaders’ summit on July 21st failed to convince investors the spread of the debt crisis can be halted by a so-called selective default for Greece.

Spanish 10-year bonds yielded 6.07 per cent after the auction as the spread, or difference, between Spanish and German bonds of that tenor narrowed to 362.6 basis points. However, yields rose again in the afternoon, rising to 6.284 per cent at the close, with the spread rising to 399 basis points.

Demand for the three-year bonds yesterday was 2.14 times the amount sold, compared with 2.29 times in July.

The sale will likely be Spain’s only bond auction this month.

“The Spanish treasury has decided to follow the precedent of the previous two years and not summon a long-term auction on August,” it said in a statement.

Elena Salgado, Spanish finance minister, on Wednesday night insisted that the auction would go ahead in spite of nervousness in the bond markets, in order to show that Spain was capable of raising the money it needed to repay maturing debt and finance its budget deficit. Spain had never cancelled an auction even in turbulent times, she said.

Speaking after an emergency meeting with prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to discuss the crisis and jump in debt yields, she acknowledged the volatility was worrying but attributed turmoil this month to thin volume because of the holiday season.

“I don’t think this is a response to the market turbulence, I think this is a summer thing. During the crisis it has been usual for a number of countries to cancel their auctions. But considering the crisis, it’s possible to interpret anything however you like,” interest rate strategist at RBS Harvinder Sian said.

Spain still needs to sell about €38 billion in debt by the end of the year and has completed 60 per cent of its 2011 financing, less than the euro-area average of 67 per cent, according to a report by UniCredit.

Atletico Madrid faces Guimaraes in Europa

LONDON: Atletico Madrid, the 2010 Europa League winners, will face Vitoria Guimaraes in a play-off to advance to the group stage this season.

Last season’s runner-up Braga play Switzerland’s Young Boys, and the 2006 and ‘07 winners Sevilla are away in the first-leg against Hannover.

Schalke, Champions League semifinalists last season, were drawn away to HJK Helsinki.

Tottenham travel first to Scotland’s Hearts and AS Roma host Slovan Bratislava.

Big-spending Paris Saint-Germain are away to Olympiakos Volos, although UEFA could disqualify the Greek club that is involved in a match-fixing investigation.

Elsewhere, 2010 Europa League finalists Fulham were handed a tricky-looking draw against Ukrainian club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, who are coached by former Sevilla, Spurs and Real Madrid boss Juande Ramos.

Birmingham City will meet Nacional of Portugal, while Stoke City meet Swiss club FC Thun.

Scottish champions Rangers, who were eliminated from the Champions League third qualifying round by Malmo, will meet another Champions League dropout in Maribor of Slovenia.

Last season's runner-up Braga plays Switzerland's Young Boys, and the 2006 and '07 winner Sevilla is away in the first leg against Hannover.

Schalke, a Champions League semifinalist last season, was drawn away to HJK Helsinki.

Tottenham travels first to Scotland's Hearts and AS Roma hosts Slovan Bratislava.

Big-spending Paris Saint-Germain is away to Olympiakos Volos, although UEFA could disqualify the Greek club that is involved in a match-fixing investigation.

First-leg matches are played Aug. 18 and return games on Aug. 25.

The 48-team group stage is drawn Aug. 26 in Monaco.