African Union salutes Sudan national union government

Sept 23, 2005 (NAIROBI) — The African Union (AU) on Friday welcomed the previous day’s installation of a national unity cabinet in war-ravaged Sudan.

AU Commission’s Chairman Alpha Omar Konare expressed “his confidence in the new national unity government’s ability to meet the challenges of ensuring security,” according to a statement released in the AU’s Addis Ababa headquarters.

Konare reiterated “the commission’s commitment to extending all the necessary support towards the attainment of a durable peace to end the long suffering of the people of the Sudan,” the statement said.

On Tuesday, President Omar al-Beshir and Vice President Salva Kiir, the leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), announced a government of national unity and unveiled a 74-strong cabinet line-up. It was sworn in on Thursday.

The SPLA, based in the south of the vast country, took up arms against Khartoum more than 20 years ago. More than 1.5 million died in the ensuing conflict.

Lengthy peace talks in Kenya culminated in a comprehensive accord being signed in January.

Konare thanked Beshir and Kiir for their “relentless efforts to make the new government a reality and congratulates the new leaders and wishes them well as they begin to serve their country under this new government.”

Still far from resolved is a separate conflict in the west Sudanese region of Darfur, where, since fighting began in February 2003, hundreds of thousands of people have died and millions been displaced from their homes.

The AU is currently brokering peace talks between Khartoum and Darfur rebels.

On Thursday, both main rebel groups active in Darfur denounced Khartoum’s new power-sharing government, saying it did not represent the country’s marginalised people.