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| International |
| Sudanese Rebels To Continue Attacking Oil Installations |
| 2002-05-18 |
| Sudanese rebels will continue to attack oil installations and won't share oil revenue with their country's government, despite a recommendation by a U.S. envoy that such a move could be key to ending Sudan's 19-year civil war, a rebel official said Friday. Samson Kwaje, spokesman for the Sudan People's Liberation Army, which controls much of southern Sudan, said it would be immoral for the rebels to share the country's oil revenue while the conflict continued. "The oil exploration, the oil installations, are legitimate military targets because it fuels the war," Kwaje told The Associated Press. "Right now, one side (the government) is using it to oppress other parts of Sudan. So why don't we suspend operations of this natural resource, work very hard on the peace process of Sudan, then we can have a fair way of sharing the resources." Seems like the rebels had their chance. They signed an agreement, then broke it. My sympathy meter seems to be stuck. Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail said it would be impossible to share oil revenue unless there was a ceasefire. "With a ceasefire it's possible, but now fighting is going on, how can we distribute it?" Ismail said. That makes sense. If you're shooting at me with one hand, and I'm putting cash in the other, I'm the one who needs his head examined. Ismail said the government had "no problem" sharing oil revenue with the south if there was peace, but not with the SPLA. Could it be they don't consider them trustworthy? Could it be they're right? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |