Implementation of Sudan’s CPA
By Malith Kur*
May 5, 2006 — It is quite disturbing to see that the implementation of the peace agreement between the NIF in Khartoum and the SPLM is going extremely slow; and at the same time the SPLM seems to ignore the seriousness of the situation. There are many areas in which the SPLM should be blamed for not taking a clear stand in the process of the implementation of the agreement. First of all, it is the duty of the SPLM/ SPLA to make sure that the government troops and their secret informers are removed from the South as soon as the time frame specified in the CPA calls for. The government needs to be reminded if it has forgotten the time set by the CPA for its soldiers to leave the South. Secondly, the SPLM/SPLA needs to remove completely the LRA from the South because it is unacceptable for these Ugandan thugs to be able to operate with impunity in the territory of Southern Sudan. As far as we know the SPLA is capable of chasing away the LRA without any difficulty because there is no where in the South the LRA can hide without being caught by the SPLA. The only thing that is assisting the Ugandan rebels to stay in the South is the unwillingness of the SPLA to act against these terrorist of the LRA. In reality, we know that the LRA is being harbored by the NIF soldiers, but this cannot be an excuse for the SPLA not to make sure that the LRA is driven out of the South Sudan Land. Southern Sudan is under the SPLM/ SPLA administration and those who carry out illegal activities such as supporting criminals for the purpose of destabilizing the region are breaking the law of Southern Sudan, therefore they have no reason to stay to do more harm while they have no jurisdiction to operate there. Thirdly, the other strange thing the SPLM/SPLA is doing at the moment is trying to claim that it can mediate between the Ugandan government and the LRA. These thugs of the LRA are not interested in peace because they know that they are going to be tried for war crimes they have committed in Southern Sudan and Northern Uganda. Hence, they must be apprehended and handed over to the ICC instead of offering them negotiation chances that will keep thinking of abducting more children as sex slaves. In fact, there is nothing wrong with trying to offer mediation to solve a problem; however, the offer should be given to those who have genuine cause which led them to war. The LRA has no political agenda that is why they abduct and mutilate people. No body can negotiate with such brutal criminals. They must go straight to jail to answer to their crimes against humanity that they have committed in the region.
On the other hand, we the ordinary people of South Sudan must know that we have a big role to play in securing our future because we are the power that protects that land. We must make sure that the politician in Juba speak our minds not theirs for most of those politician sitting in parliament in Juba cannot be trusted since they work for their own political survival instead of working toward achieving our total freedom. Therefore the best thing we can do is to make total peace among ourselves and avoid tribal tensions that serve the interest of our enemies. We must help the current government of South Sudan to operate and implement the CPA fully and without any hindrance. Consequently, those who carry illegal arms must surrender them to the SPLA so that the security of the land can be maintained adequately. Our focus at this time should be on rebuilding our country which has never seen any development since creation. As our late hero Dr. John Garang put it, “there have never been tarmac roads in Southern Sudan since creation.” Can anybody dispute what he said? No. He was absolutely right, and so we have every reason to stay united to make peace and development a reality in Southern Sudan.
* Malith Kur is based in London Ontario, Canada. He can be reached at [email protected]