KHARTOUM, April 14 (Reuters): Sudanese militia have killed 17 people in the oil-producing South Kordofan region just two weeks before long-delayed elections, a candidate for state governor said on Thursday. Gubernatorial and state assembly polls have been disputed at every stage and are due be held on May 2. The region witnessed some of the heaviest north-south fighting during decades of civil war and is hotly contested between the ruling parties in north and south Sudan.
Khartoum's dominant National Congress Party (NCP) is fielding Ahmed Haroun as its candidate for governor, a man accused by the International Criminal Court of coordinating brutal militias during a counter-insurgency campaign in Darfur. Many doubt he will be elected since he is not from the area. The south's ruling SPLM says his role has been to mobilize and arm militiamen, who have been attacking its supporters to deter them from voting.
"Ahmed Haroun is notorious. He is using the (militia) to destabilize and scare the local population," Abdelaziz el-Helu, the SPLM's candidate for governor told Reuters by telephone from the state. "Yesterday his (militia) were directed to attack civilians in el-Faid town. They managed to burn over 350 houses. More than 17 people were killed and the situation is very tense."
South Sudan accounts for about 75 percent of Sudan's oil output of 500,000 barrels per day and it voted to become an independent country in July. Most of the north's oil reserves have been discovered in South Kordofan. The NCP was unable to immediately comment on the reports.
Khartoum's dominant National Congress Party (NCP) is fielding Ahmed Haroun as its candidate for governor, a man accused by the International Criminal Court of coordinating brutal militias during a counter-insurgency campaign in Darfur. Many doubt he will be elected since he is not from the area. The south's ruling SPLM says his role has been to mobilize and arm militiamen, who have been attacking its supporters to deter them from voting.
"Ahmed Haroun is notorious. He is using the (militia) to destabilize and scare the local population," Abdelaziz el-Helu, the SPLM's candidate for governor told Reuters by telephone from the state. "Yesterday his (militia) were directed to attack civilians in el-Faid town. They managed to burn over 350 houses. More than 17 people were killed and the situation is very tense."
South Sudan accounts for about 75 percent of Sudan's oil output of 500,000 barrels per day and it voted to become an independent country in July. Most of the north's oil reserves have been discovered in South Kordofan. The NCP was unable to immediately comment on the reports.
