Sudan ex-foes agree to resumption of talks, set deadline for resolution of Abyei impasse
March 18, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The leaders of Sudan’s north-south halves agreed on Thursday to resume suspended talks on post-secession arrangements and break the deadlock over the contested central area of Abyei ahead of the south’s official debut as the world’s newest nation in July this year.
Sudan president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir and the south’s leader Salva Kiir Mayardit met on Thursday in Khartoum in an attempt to defuse rising tension between the two sides after the south on March 12 suspended talks with the north following an attack by militias it accuses the north of arming in the oil-producing state of Upper Nile.
The breakdown of north-south talks sparked international concern and stoked fears that the two sides might be on a collision course after the relatively peaceful conduct of south Sudan referendum. The talks aim to reach a settlement on a wide-array of issues including shares of oil resources, citizenship, sovereign debts and the status of Abyei region.
South Sudan army the SPLA clashed more than three times over the past week with armed militias it accuses the north-based government of supplying with arms. The south disclosed documents containing orders from Khartoum for the supply of arms to southern insurgents, but the north strongly denied the allegations and claimed that the documents are fabricated.
Thabo Mbeki, the former South African President leading the AU’s High-level panel on Sudan which is moderating north-south talks, told reporters in Khartoum on Thursday that Kiir and Al-Bashir reached an agreement to resume post-secession talks.
“It was agreed with the presidents that all of the outstanding negotiations will now proceed,” Mbeki said.
According to Mbeki, a joint military team representing the south and the north’s armies would investigate the veracity of the south-leaked documents alleging Khartoum’s support to rebel groups, and take action against whoever is involved in attempts to destabilize the south.
“If there’s any truth to any of those allegations, then necessary actions will be taken against whoever it is who could have been involved in any action which is intended to destabilize the government of South Sudan,” Mbeki said.
The two sides set a deadline to break the deadlock over the status of the contested oil-producing region of Abyei before the end of March, and agreed to respect the monitoring of Abyei by UN peacekeepers who complained of restrictions on access to conflict-affected zones.
The turbulent region of Abyei also witnessed clashes this month between south Sudan police and members of the north-linked nomadic Arab tribe of Misseriya.
Abyei was supposed to hold a referendum to determine its status but the plebiscite was stalled due to disagreement between north and south Sudan over who is eligible to vote.
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Historical Boy!
Sudan ex-foes agree to resumption of talks, set deadline for resolution of Abyei impasse
Salva Kiir should get serious and not just believe in empty promises.
mohammed ali
Sudan ex-foes agree to resumption of talks, set deadline for resolution of Abyei impasse
That is great. It is good news.We can see that the did not kill each other!So why we let tens or hundreds of people die innocent and poor people while they didn’t fight to kill each others?
There are hundreds and hundreds of solutions other than war.War will never solve a problem, simply poor and innocent people die and the much needed resources will be lost for nothing.
Jamjamez
Sudan ex-foes agree to resumption of talks, set deadline for resolution of Abyei impasse
All you do is keep talking when this guy is countering your slow Ideas with actions. Messeria Killing people in Abyei, You have mishandle George Athor case and now it is a different story with lots of complications and loses. You have allowed some Lunatics to run policies instead of implementing the rule of law. There is killing popping up here and there! what can you guys do right? All the citizen are losing faith and if you don’t act right! there is going to be lots of chaos that you never imagine to happen under your leadership.
good luck fixing!
Paul Ongee
Sudan ex-foes agree to resumption of talks, set deadline for resolution of Abyei impasse
Historical Girl, Mohamed Ali, Jamjamez and the likes,
Please, do you really know that Khartoum is behind the attempted creation of instability in the south Sudan? Khartoum didn’t sign the CPA willingly although it failed repeatedly to win the war.
Khartoum was literally forced by international community to ink the various protocols that constitute the agreement of 2005. Khartoum is never and will never be happy about the peaceful departure of South Sudan because of oil.
Khartoum worries about its economic survival and often attempts to create impression that it’ll be okay. If Khartoum will realistically be fine, why does it obsess with the claim of sharing the oil-rich Abyei and continued attempts of creating political instability and insecurity in southern Sudan in order to dip its ugly fingers in the governance of South Sudan through known and unknown southern traitors? Will this political miscalculation represent our inability to govern ourselves? No. Khartoum needs to learn how to leave us alone or face the consequences.
Khartoum does not sleep at night or smile at day time with a peace of mind. The complication is coupled with events that are shaking up totalitarian and undemocratic regimes across North African countries and the Middle East. These events reminds me of one of the fictional books that I read in USA titled “The New World Order.” I love it. Therefore, sharing the oil wealth money or donating it to the poor masses at this juncture will never make any difference or halt freedom and democratic goals. Libya and Saudi Arabia are trying to wake up to do that since their independence.
Islamic mentality has been studied for years that when people take to the street peacefully they often resort to shooting protesters (though Tunisia and Egypt didn’t do it this time) instead of dispersing violent protesters by using tear gas or water cannons. What will be the results? Continued protest that will eventually result in overthrowing elected or unelected regimes with or without international intervention.
Khartoum was supposed to follow its neighbor, Egypt but deleted because of implementation of CPA and the potential revival of Darfur peace process. Khartoum is till in the pipeline besides the ICC case filed against the president who massacred thousands in Darfur but still claim that only 10,000 deaths since 2003. What a joke?
Khartoum is simply left out because of CPA but with its crazy political behavior, I don’t think that it will achieve its objective destabilization of south Sudan before or after July 9, 2011. SPLM/SPLA is here to and will have to stay but not Khartoum which is still crazy and reluctant to implement CPA in good faith or make political move that resonates with the Northerners or peaceful demonstration.
This time democratic change in Khartoum will never come through coup detat again as often proclaimed by the military juntas but through peaceful protests and means. Western world or Israel is out of it. They should not even try to blame western world or Israel. They got their independence from the British or French but failed to govern democratically and live up to their democratic ideals.
The fictional New World Order will slowly but surely prevail until Arab and crazy African leaders make necessary democratic changes and acknowledge human freedom, dignity, equality and justice as western nations are doing or finish themselves out of this planet by using western/eastern made fighter jets, suicide bombings or Somalization. The likely scenarios are obvious.
South Sudan will still get its independence regardless of these Khartoum’s strategic proxy wars here and there and dirty plans. However, Khartoum has already been shown the door since 1955 because of mismanagement and misrepresentation of identity and democratic ideals.
Paul Ongee
Khartoum, Sudan