Thursday, March 28, 2024

Sudan Tribune

Plural news and views on Sudan

Sudan hints at US involvement in SPLM decision to recall ministers

October 21, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan Second Vice President pointed fingers at the US as being behind the decision of southern ex-rebels to suspend participation in the government of national unity.

Ali Osman Taha
Ali Osman Taha
Sudan’s news agency quoted Ali Osman Mohamed Taha during a press conference in Khartoum yesterday as saying that there are “elements from foreign lobby” that were present in Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan, during the meetings of Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM).

Last week an official from Sudan’s ruling party, National Congress Party (NCP), accused the former Special Envoy on Sudan for the State Department Roger Winter, who is believed to be in Juba of masterminding the escalation between the SPLM and NCP.

On October 11th the SPLM decided to suspend their participation in the national unity government because of what they describe as the NCP’s failure to fully implement crucial elements of the CPA.

The latest move by the SPLM raised concern that the Comprehensive peace agreement (CPA) that ended two decades of civil war between the Arab and Muslim-dominated north and the mainly Christian and animist black southerners may unravel.

The Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir responded to the SPLM’s decision by reshuffling three ministerial posts, two presidential advisors and six state ministers. The reshuffle was one of the key demands by the SPLM to revoke their decision and resume their participation in the government.

However SPLM officials said that they will not return to the government before other issues are resolved including the redeployment of troops from the south to the North and demarcation of borders.

Taha rejected any attempts by other countries to mediate between his party and the SPLM in the standoff between them.

“We do not need someone to ring the bells for us or give us advice from overseas” he added.

Yesterday the Sudanese government dismissed calls by the French government for an international conference to discuss the crisis between the partners in the government of national unity.

Sudan’s presidential adviser Ghazi Salah Al-Deen told the daily Al-Rayaam that the proposal “is useless” and noted that there are mechanisms within the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) to resolve any issues that come up.

Taha said that there are committees working on resolving all outstanding issues with SPLM by January 2008. He listed 14 items that these committees are looking into.

Al-Bashir and the leader of the SPLM Silva Kiir will meet next Wednesday to follow up on the discussion they had last week that yielded no tangible results.

The top officials discussed the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Kiir requested that all the pending issues should be addressed before the third anniversary of the CPA in January 2008.

The 2005 peace agreement brokered by the US and other western countries ended two decades of civil war between the Arab and Muslim-dominated north and the mainly Christian and animist black southerners.

(ST)

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