Sudan forms panel to share oil wealth with former rebel SPLM

Oct 30, 2005 (KHARTOUM) — President Omar al-Beshir established a commission Sunday that will draw up the country’s oil policy to provide an equal share of the wealth to the country’s former southern rebels.

The commission was set up under a January peace agreement that ended Africa’s longest war.

The official Sudan News Agency (SUNA) said al-Beshir also set up an evaluation commission to monitor implementation of the peace agreement during a six-year interim period.

The peace accord, signed by the government and the former southern rebels of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, provides for an autonomous south with its own army, government and a new constitution during that interim period. It ended a 21-year civil war between the mostly Muslim north and the Christian and animist south that left about 2 million people dead.

After the six-year interim period, the 10 southern states will hold a referendum on independence.

The oil commission will be co-chaired by al-Beshir and the president of the southern Sudan government. It is to include equal numbers of representatives from both the national government and the southern government and oil producing states of Sudan.

SUNA said el-Bashir will also form other commissions called for by the agreement, including a national commission for elections and a human rights commission.

(AP/ST)