Sudanese presidency convenes today as North-South rift widens

March 16, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir and South Sudan leader Salva Kiir are scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss the deteriorating relations between the North and South a few months before the country officially split into two.

Southerners voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence during the referendum that took place last January. The ruling National Congress Party (NCP) in the North accepted the outcome of the vote and vowed to be the first to recognize the new state.

Both sides are supposed to iron out the post-referendum arrangements such as border demarcation, oil, water, citizenship, national debt, international agreements and the fate of the Abyei region.

However, progress has been slow on resolving these issues and last week the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) controlling the South said it was suspending the talks and accused the North of arming militias with the aim of toppling the government in the semi-autonomous region.

The U.S., UK and Norway issued a joint statement on Tuesday urging the NCP-SPLM negotiations to continue.

Yesterday the SPLM political bureau said it will not continue its participation in the security committee with the NCP in protest.

The head of an African Union (AU) panel Thabo Mbeki who is mediating between the North and South met with Bashir and Kiir in a fresh bid to defuse tensions and prevent further escalation as violence spread to different parts of the South and Abyei.

“Bashir is a believer in the importance of continued dialogue to resolve all outstanding issues” Mbeki said.

Today’s meeting is expected to tackle the South’s accusations about the NCP arming the militias and the alleged plot to install an “agent” government before the country’s breakup in July.

(ST)