DATE=6/4/98 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-233339 TITLE=SUDAN FIGHTING (L ONLY) BYLINE=CAROL PINEAU DATELINE=NAIROBI CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: IN SUDAN, MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED IN FIERCE FIGHTING NEAR THE ETHIOPIAN BORDER. CAROL PINEAU IN NAIROBI REPORTS THE REBEL SUDANESE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY'S MOST RECENT VICTORY COULD LEAD TO OTHER STRATEGIC OFFENSIVES. TEXT: THE SUDANESE PEOPLE'S LIBERATION ARMY, S-P-L-A, HAS CAPTURED FIVE GOVERNMENT HELD GARRISON TOWNS SINCE BEGINNING THEIR UPPER AND BLUE NILE OFFENSIVES MORE THAN ONE MONTH AGO. THIS WEEK THE GROUP ANNOUNCED ANOTHER VICTORY -- THE GOVERNMENT-HELD TOWN OF ULU. ULU IS THE LAST OBSTACLE ON THE ROAD TO DAMAZIN AND THE ROSEIRES HYDRO-ELECTRIC DAM -- WHICH SUPPLIES 80 PERCENT OF KHARTOUM'S ELECTRICITY. ULU ALSO IS THE LAST OBSTACLE ON THE WAY TO THE OIL PRODUCING REGION OF KHORADAR. S-P-L-A REPRESENTATIVES SAY THE NEARBY GOVERNMENT OIL-EXPLORATION OPERATIONS WILL BE THE NEXT TARGET. THE S-P-L-A ISSUED A STATEMENT WARNING FOREIGN OIL COMPANIES IN THE REGION THAT THEIR SAFETY WOULD NOT BE GUARANTEED AND THEY SHOULD HALT OPERATIONS. FOLLOWING THE FALL OF THE GOVERNMENT GARRISON TOWN, SUDANESE PRESIDENT OMAR HASSAN AL BASHIR DECLARED IN A SPEECH WEDNESDAY A MAXIMUM STATE OF MOBILIZATION FOR YOUNG MEN. HE CALLED ON THEM TO REPORT TO TRAINING CAMPS AND THEN MOVE ON TO THE FRONT. THE SUDAN GOVERNMENT NEWSPAPER QUOTED THE PRESIDENT AS SAYING THE REBEL FORCES HAD RECEIVED ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FROM ENEMIES OF THE HOMELAND. HE DID NOT NAME ANY COUNTRIES, BUT SUDAN HAS OFTEN ACCUSED ITS NEIGHBORS AND THE UNITED STATES OF AIDING THE S-P-L-A. CIVIL WAR HAS WRACKED SUDAN FOR THE PAST 14 YEARS. THE S-P-L-A HAS BEEN FIGHTING FOR THE CHRISTIAN AND ANIMIST SOUTH TO HAVE GREATER AUTONOMY FROM THE ARAB ISLAMIC GOVERNMENT IN THE NORTH. THE WAR HAS LEFT MORE THAN ONE-AND-ONE-HALF-MILLION PEOPLE DEAD, THOUSANDS DISPLACED, AND MOST RECENTLY, 350-THOUSAND AT RISK OF STARVATION. (SIGNED) NEB/CP/JWH 04-Jun-98 10:59 AM EDT (1459 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
