The Unrealistic withdrawal of northern troops from South Sudan

By Steve Paterno

January 11, 2008 — According to the timetable of implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), the demarcation of the South-North border to its original borderline as of January 1st, 1956, was supposed to be determined in the pre-interim period. To be exact, it was supposed to be determined within the first six month prior to the interim period.

However, to this day, the South-North border is still not yet determined to its original borderline as of January 1st, 1956. Khartoum in general is interested in erasing the South-North border. They have done it by all means necessary including waging war to displace the Southern Sudanese. It was a regime of Khartoum which officially identified Bentiu, a Southern oil rich region as an area “450 miles from Khartoum” or a “Southern part of Western Darfur” when the oil was first discovered in the area as oppose to identifying it as Southern Sudan or even by its exact name, Bentiu. The current president of Khartoum, Omer al-Beshir is not interested in the South-North border as long as the border remains not demarcated and undetermined; Khartoum will have its way deep into the South, hence, into its wealth, the oil in particular. The ceremonial South-North border commission established under the Khartoum’s presidency is as useless as any other commission in Sudan. It works at the whim and pleasure of the president not according to the commission’s mandate. The commission suffers from lack of funding, is subjected into manipulations, and lacks technical expertise, and even enjoys high level of corruption. One would suppose that the South-North border of January 1st, 1956, which is well documented, can be as easy to determine that a student ninth grader can determine it with just a one hour visit to the library.

Despite the fact that the South-North border is not yet accurately determined, it is interesting that the headline today is that the Northern troops of Khartoum are withdrawing their troops from the South. The right question is: where are they withdrawing to since the South-North border is not yet determined? And another question is: what were they doing in the South in the first place when they were supposed to withdraw ages ago?

The fact remains that the demarcation and determination of South-North border is the most significant component of the CPA that is why it was supposed to be pre-determined prior to the interim period. The way it is now, the government of South Sudan is invalid as it cannot be able to legitimately claim its territorial integrity. The South cannot earn in full its share of oil revenues because of the border discrepancies. The Northern troops of Khartoum cannot completely withdraw out of the South because the real borderline is not yet determined. The census cannot be carried out accurately in the South because the Southern territorial integrity is not yet determined. There will not be fair elections in the South as election depends on the population as well as on the territorial constitution. And finally, there will be no referendum for the South without the demarcation and determination of a Southern Sudan border.

In conclusion, the survival of the CPA, the future of South Sudan, especially the referendum of South Sudan, is very much depends on the demarcation and determination of South-North border. It is apparently clear that without the borders clearly demarcated, the South is destined to subjugation of Khartoum. Such subjugation would most likely trigger another South-North war. It is just a matter of time as to when such a war will start in a full swing.

Steve Paterno is the author of The Rev. Fr. Saturnino Lohure, A Romain Catholic Priest Turned Rebel. He can be reached at [email protected]