Sudan deplores lack of international aid

Jan 21, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan deplored Saturday the international community’s failure to offer promised assistance to boost a peace accord that ended its civil strife.

Foreign Minister Lam Akol said Sudan began implementing commitments made under the peace agreement which ended the country’s 20-year civil war in January last year but the international community failed to honor its promises.

“The peace agreement is not only aimed at resolving Sudan’s problems, but it presents the best example for settling conflicts in the African continent,” Akol told a meeting of African foreign ministers preparing the Organization of African Unity summit to convene in Khartoum next week.

“Nothing is left but fulfillment by the international community of all the promises it made at the Oslo meeting of donor nations, which vowed to offer Sudan $4.5 billion to back up the peace process,” Akol said.

He called on donor nations to prove their good intentions and provide assistance “not only in the implementation of repatriation programs for refugees and the displaced, but also in reconstruction and development.”

He said Sudan is facing challenges “which cannot be surmounted if no real partnership is secured by merging our local efforts with those of the international community.”

“We repeat our plea for international assistance and hope it will happen as quickly as possible,” he added.

The Sudanese government and southern rebels led by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement signed the peace agreement in Kenya last January, under which the two parties would share power during a six-year transitional period.

Following that phase, a referendum would be held to decide the future of the mainly Christian and Animist south Sudan on whether to secede or remain part of Sudan.

(UPI)