Sudan at a crossroads: Troika letter

From left, Solheim, Shah, Kiir and Mitchell, in Juba

On Saturday 7th May, a letter was published in The Guardian by representatives of the Troika countries - Norway, the UK and the US - on the challenges facing Sudan and South Sudan.

It was written by Norway's Minister of Environment and International Development Erik Solheim, the UK's Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell, and US Agency for International Development administrator, Rajiv Shah.

The letter is copied in full, below.

 

Two months from now, Africa faces a momentous change, as the continent's largest country divides into two – the republics of Sudan and South Sudan.

The division is the result of the January 2011 referendum on self-determination for southern Sudan provided for under the 2005 comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) that ended Sudan's civil war, one of Africa's longest and bloodiest conflicts. Of more than 3.8 million southern Sudanese who voted, nearly 99% chose secession. This new chapter offers an opportunity for the Sudanese to put the conflict of the past behind them for good.

Norway, the UK and the US, longstanding humanitarian and development partners of Sudan and guarantors of the CPA, are supporting the creation of two economically viable and peaceful states that enjoy good governance and respect for human rights. We are also committed to assisting those affected by conflict and poverty. As representatives of the three guarantor countries, we are visiting both Khartoum and Juba this weekend to make clear our support for these goals.

Several key parts of the CPA are incomplete, and many issues remain to be decided between north and south before separation on 9 July. These include determining the border; security arrangements; citizenship issues; wealth, sharing including oil revenues; a framework for future north-south co-operation; and the status of Abyei (a community that straddles the north-south border). We are greatly concerned by an impasse in talks on some of these critical issues. We call on the parties to make the final tough decisions needed to create sustainable economic, political and security arrangements between the two future states.

Sudan and South Sudan will be each other's most important neighbours thanks to economic, historic, geographic and cultural ties. It is in the interest of all Sudanese that there be mutual trust and respect for each country's security and stability. The livelihoods and practices of pastoralists – the herders who traditionally traverse the north-south border zone – must be protected and accommodated. A "soft" border between north and south allowing for trade and the easy movement of people would benefit all Sudanese. Allegations of support to proxy forces by both sides are serious, and should be independently investigated. The CPA rules out the existence of armed groups outside the two established forces of the parties

To help reduce poverty, increase transparency, and utilise revenue from natural resources, including petroleum, for the benefit of the citizens of both states, both governments should join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which supports sustainable economic growth and government accountability to citizens. Both north and south must also diversify their economies, reduce their reliance on oil, increase their food security through agricultural development, and expand health, education, water and sanitation services.

We must also not lose sight of Darfur, where much still needs to be done to finally resolve the conflict in that region. For nine years, Darfuris have endured violence, displacement and poverty. This situation is deplorable and intolerable. For long-term stability and development, there must be an inclusive and just peace in Darfur, with all groups and voices represented in the political settlement. We will continue to work intensively with all parties towards this goal.

Despite the challenges inherent in separating and launching a new nation, this is a time of opportunity for all of Sudan. Stability and co-operation across north and south will benefit all Sudanese. Increasing trade and co-operation between north and south, and with all of Sudan's neighbours, will provide economic opportunities for youth, who make up more than half of Sudan's population, and for women and girls, who have not had full access to opportunities for education and employment.

We urge the international community to press for peace and development throughout Sudan, so that this region that has endured far too much suffering will not return to conflict. We urge the governments of north and south to urgently resolve the outstanding issues before 9 July to ensure a firm footing for their future relations. We believe that the UN has an important role to play in supporting these two new states after the end of the CPA, and look forward to ongoing discussions on its future role. And we are committed to continuing to help the governments and people of both countries develop in peace and partnership, offering hope and a brighter future for all Sudanese.

Source: The Guardian

For more information, please see the Menas Borders website, here.

Sudan round up: UN confirms SAF attack, SSRC in hot water, and Sudanese migrants returned home

A UN investigation confirmed on Monday 13th December, Southern Sudanese claims that warplanes from the northern-controlled Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) had carried out attacks in locations in Southern Sudan near the joint border this month.

The Southern Sudanese government has complained repeatedly in recent months about bombings taking place. The most recent occurred in Timsaha in Western Bahr al-Ghazal province on 8th December, and while noone was killed, the Southern Sudan government has called for a UN commission of inquiry.

A spokesperson for the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), Kouider Zerrouk confirmed the attack: "After verification, it was established by the CJMC members that air attack took place in the vicinity of Timsaha in Western Bahr al-Ghazal and no casualties have been reported."

Southern Sudan said last month that SAF representatives in the ceasefire monitoring body, the Ceasefire Joint Military Committee, which is chaired by the UN, admitted a previous bombing in the area on 14th November. SAF representatives allegedly said that the attack was part of the hunt for Darfur rebels.

Khartoum frequently accuses Southern Sudan publically of supporting and sheltering insurgents from Western Sudan, including Darfur, which borders Western Bahr al-Ghazal. Southern Sudanese officials deny the accusations and say the bombing is meant to increase tension in the north-south Sudan border area in the run up to the January independence referendum.

On 7th December, Southern Sudan minister of information Barnaba Marial Benjamin Bil accused the SAF of working to undermine the referendum by carrying out air attacks in Southern Sudan.

Legal challenge to SSRCOn 8th December, Menas Borders reported that a group of lawyers, backed by the northern ruling party, the National Congress Party (NCP) was seeking to file a lawsuit against the South Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC), arguing that the commission had violated the interim constitution and the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in conducting voter registration.

The lawyers filed their case on Sunday 12th December, and on 14th December, the Sudan Constitutional Court accepted the motion 'in form and content' according to one of the lawyers involved.

Ismail Hassan Haj-Hamad, head of the legal team that filed the challenge said that the next step would be for the court to consider their requests and would order the SSRC to file a response, before issuing a final ruling.

Haj-Hamad was quoted on the Sudanese Media Center (SMC) website saying that they had asked the court to annul all procedures arising out of the voter registration and to immediately halt the work of the SSRC. He said they are requesting the commission to be dissolved and for a new one to be established in line with the Referendum Act of 2009.

The court is expected to rule within three days.

Israel returns Sudanese migrants

In other Sudan related news, Israel confirmed, on Monday 13th December, that it was deporting 150 Sudanese migrants that had entered the country illegally. The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has also confirmed that the migrants were being flown back to Sudan, via a third country, and that no coercion was involved.

Israeli officials said over 200 Sudanese had been flown out of the country in recent months after agreeing to return home, but that the operation on Monday was the largest yet.

The Israeli government estimates that over 30,000 Africans have entered the country illegally through its southern border in the last five years. Israel is taking an increasingly tough line with migrants; it is building a barrier along its border with Egypt to try to stop people from crossing illegally and has approved plans to set up a special facility to house those who are detained.

Israel says the migrants, most of whom come from the Horn of Africa, come in search of work, and are threatening local jobs.

Sources: BBC News, Sudan Tribune
For more information on the Sudan, please see menas borders

Southern Sudan referendum timetable announced

The south is expected to vote for independence

Sudanese officials have announced a timetable for Southern Sudan's independence referendum. The vote is due to take place on 9th January, 2011, but the absence of a timetable outlining the run-up to the vote led to fears that the referendum would have to be postponed, which could spark renewed violence.

Deputy Chairman of the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission Chan Reec Madut said on Tuesday 5th October that voter registration will start on 14th November and end on 4th December, with parties allowed to start campaigning on 7th December.

Despite the tight timing this schedule provides, Reec was confident about the prospects. "I am still optimistic that if we are all registered, everybody has his or her card, and then we can be sure that this exercise is going to happen no matter what," Reec told reporters in the southern capital Juba. He added that only 'unseen reasons' could cause the vote to be delayed.

Despite this announcement, Southern Sudan President Salva Kiir told UN Security Council delegates, who are visiting the region, that the south may have to organise its own referendum if the north disrupted the vote. The south has repeatedly accused the north of trying to delay the ballot to keep control of the region's oil, a charge Khartoum denies.

The poll will take place across Sudan, but only southerners will be eligible to vote. The southern Sudanese diaspora will also be able to vote in eight other countries, assisted by the intergovernmental International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The vote will take place in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Australia, Canada, the US and the UK.

Voter registration material is bring printed in South Africa, and ballot papers will also be printed outside Sudan with security devices fitted to prevent fraud.

The referendum was part of a 2005 peace deal to end two decades of conflict between the north and oil-rich south, in which some 1.5 million people died and millions more were displaced.

Preparations, however, for a separate referendum in the Abyei region, which straddles north and south Sudan, are making less headway. UN-mediated talks are being held in Ethiopia to try to resolve disputes over voter eligibiliy and the physical demarcation of the state's border. The Abyei referendum is also due to be held on 9th January, and people of the region will choose whether to join the north or the south.

The announcement by Reec came as 15 members of the UN Security Council visited the region to make sure the referendums go ahead on time and in a fair and peaceful manner. The delegation will also be travelling to Darfur, where there has been renewed violence after the breakdown of a ceasefire between the government and one of the main rebel groups, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM).

The delegation almost cancelled their trip because council members worried that they would have to meet Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and shake his hand, but the trip went ahead after it was agreed that a meeting would not happen. Al-Bashir has been indicted for alleged war crimes in Darfur by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Sources: BBC News, Reuters, AfricaNews

For more information on the situation in South Sudan, please see the original story here.