SPLM-N Chinese Workers Evacuation

SPLM-N Chinese Workers Evacuation
The SPLM-N Establishes Contact with China and Forms a Three-Person Committee to Secure the Safety and the Evacuation of the Chinese Workers Out of the War Zone
On January 30, 2012, an SPLM-N delegation led by its Chairman, Malik Agar, along with the Secretary General, Yasir Arman, and the Treasurer, Ramdan Hassan, met with the Chinese Ambassador, Xie Xiaoyan, and two colleagues, who were instructed by the Chinese government to follow-up on the issue of 29 Chinese workers and technicians who were constructing a road in the Abassya-rashad area where the Sudan government laid a failed ambush against the SPLA-N.  That road, for now, will be used to support the National Congress’ genocidal military effort.  Ambassador Xie stressed the concern of China for the safety of the Chinese workers and for their return home to their families and that China is not part of the conflict in Sudan but rather the workers came for development projects in Sudan.  It is worth mentioning that before the meeting, we had established contact with Commander Abdel Aziz el-Hilu, the Deputy Chairperson of the SPLM-N, who said that the Chinese are in safe hands with SPLA-N; that he already gave strict instructions to secure the safety of the Chinese and their return back to China from the war zone; and he warned the National Congress forces that they should not target the Chinese area by aerial bombardment or ground attack.  If they did so, they would be held responsible especially after the meeting with the Chinese Ambassador.  The official spokesperson of the National Congress forces mentioned to the press that they are sending forces to attack the SPLA-N area where the Chinese are located and that came after the continuous lies by him and Ahmed Haroun regarding the Chinese workers.
In the meeting, the SPLM-N leadership stressed the following:
1)       The SPLM-N will do everything possible to secure the safety of the Chinese workers and it will cooperate fully with the Chinese Government and the Chinese Communist Party to ensure the safety of the Chinese citizens and to secure their return home out of the war zone especially as it is the time of the Chinese New Year celebration and the SPLM-N would like those workers to be with their families during this time.
2)      The SPLM-N requests from China to relocate Chinese citizens outside of the war zone in South Kordofan and Blue Nile and the SPLM-N welcomes the contribution of China in development after the war ends.
3)      The SPLM-N delegation gave background of the present conflict in the North and about the “Northern Question” to the Chinese delegation and explained in detail the aggression of the National Congress against the SPLM-N and their decision to ban the organization, the killing and wounding of hundreds of civilian populations in the aggression, arbitrary arrest of its leaders and sentencing some of them to death, continuous barbaric attacks from air and land which resulted in the displacement and refuge of hundreds of thousands of civilians inside and outside of Sudan in South Kordofan and Blue Nile and in the neighboring countries of the Republic of South Sudan and Ethiopia.  The SPLM-N calls upon China to contribute to the humanitarian operation and to ask Khartoum government to open safe corridors for humanitarian operations and access, which has been denied by the National Congress leadership, and to call again upon China to support the SPLM-N’s demand of an international investigation on the war crimes; to stop the genocide by Khartoum and the impunity which encourages more crimes against Sudanese people; and to support the demand of the SPLM-N of a holistic approach that will end the tragedy and misery of the Sudanese people and bring a just peace to Sudan.  Likewise, the SPLM-N asked the Chinese delegation to convey to Khartoum that they should stop any military operations in the area where the Chinese are present until their safe evacuation.
4)      The SPLM-N leadership has formed a three-person committee with Neroun Philip as the Chairperson and Hishim Wrta from the SPLM-N humanitarian wing and Arnu Ngtullu Loddi, the official spokesperson of the SPLM-N, to follow-up and to secure the safety of the Chinese workers and to evacuate them in full coordination with the Chinese Government.
The Ambassador of China expressed the appreciation of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese Government of the SPLM-N’s understanding and cooperation and the need to continue the dialogue and the relations between the two.
Yasir Arman
SPLM-N  Secretary General
January 31, 2012