Sudan's defence minister provides Darfur update

Sudan’s Minister of Defence, Abdel Rahim Mohammed Hussein, has warned that armed groups in Darfur have mounted a campaign to pressurise the Sudanese government and achieve their objectives ahead of the upcoming negotiations. In a national security briefing to parliament, Hussein outlined the security situation in the western region of Sudan, and explained the Sudanese army's concerns about insurgents entering Darfur through trucks carrying aid. The defence minister said the that the security forces had been active in checking the trucks carrying aid to the residents of Darfur, and had been successful in thwarting attacks that could destabilise the country. Hussein argued that the Darfur-based rebel group Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) is struggling for popular support in the region, with attacks of the Sudanese military having undermined the movement's influence in Darfur. The minister explained that the Sudanese forces had managed to secure roads in the state of South Kordofan, and protect the oil fields to make sure Sudan’s production of oil is not affected. Hussein provided an account of the various violations committed by the armed groups in Sudan, but confirmed that military forced had managed to secure the borders between Sudan and South Sudan.