Claim by a spokesperson of negotiating team of GoS in Addis Ababa that their military forces bombarded JEM troops inside sovereign borders of South Sudan is false and comes within Khartoum’s characteristic deceit and lack of commitment to peaceful settlements.

1. JEM has no military presence inside territories of South Sudan. Forces of the Movement deploy in wide areas in Sudan, move freely in accordance with its tactics and do not need to use territories of a foreign country. JEM is ready to allow verification visits, if necessary.

2 – JEM has not come under any aerial bombardment in the past few days, neither in South Kordofan, West Kordofan, South Darfur or anywhere else in Sudan

3 – It makes little sense for South Sudan to protest attacks taking place in a different country and on foreign forces at time of intense satellite coverage over the whole region and the world at large, let away use that as a pretext for disruption of negotiations the young country has willingly chosen to embark into.

4 – Attacks on opponents during negotiations have been a prime policy tactic of the Khartoum government and as such, there is nothing new in this callous incident, deliberately aimed at weakening the South at the negotiating table.

5 – JEM has never been in the habit of opting for short terms wins at the expense of long-term and strategic gains for Sudanese people in both countries. JEM will be pleased to see the two parties reach amicable solution for the current conflict and is ready to play its role in making it a reality.

Gabriel Adam Bilal

Secretary of the media spokesman for the movement

July 21, 2012