There will not be war in south Sudan after today – Salva Kiir
June 10, 2006 (KHARTOUM) — Sudanese First Vice-President Salva Kiir has said that the curtain has been completely closed on the war in the south. However, in an interview with London based Al-Sharq al-Awsat published on 7 June, he said that comprehensive peace will not be achieved unless it is achieved in Darfur and the situation stabilizes in eastern Sudan.
Meanwhile, Riek Machar, deputy head of the south Sudan government, told Al-Sharq al-Awsat that Juba, capital of the south, will host unique talks between the leaders of rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government, under Sudanese-international sponsorship. He added that the talks will begin next week.
Salva Kiir told Al-Sharq al-Awsat that the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), led by Kiir, has participated in the Abuja negotiations, which ended in signing the Darfur peace agreement with the rebel Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM), led by Minni Arko Minawi. He added that the SPLM will seek to convince those who reject the agreement to sign it “because peace is important for Darfur, just as it is important for the south, and joint efforts should be made to achieve it”.
The Sudanese first vice-president, head of the south Sudan government, said that he is optimistic about reaching an agreement with the armed factions in eastern Sudan, especially after taking steps toward rapprochement and normalization between Khartoum and Asmara, exchanging visits at a high level between the two countries, upgrading diplomatic representation to the level of ambassadors, the actual arrival of the Eritrean ambassador in Khartoum, and appointing the Sudanese ambassador in Asmara. He added that the Eritrean role is necessary and vital in ensuring the success of the negotiations between the government and the eastern Sudan delegation in Asmara in mid-June 2006 in order to reach a fair agreement that achieves the desired stability.
Salva Kiir said that the recent meetings, which were held between the two partners – the SPLM and the National Congress – and which lasted three days, day and night, are positive. During these meetings, the two sides exchanged views frankly and clearly. He added that the two partners agreed to hold a meeting for the political forces as part of supporting all efforts to achieve peace in Sudan.
On the priorities of the government in the south, he said that it will focus on providing essential services – electricity, water, education, health and roads. He added that “the existence of these essential services alone will convince the people of the south that the war has ended and that they have started to reap the fruits of peace,” after they suffered a great deal from the woes of war for a long time. He said: Many of the displaced persons have started to return to their areas in the south, but we want them to return and we have secured the basic, vital requirements for them. He added: The donors have not fulfilled their commitments, but we will not wait for them and we will use our resources and revenues to execute the essential projects and the infrastructure and reconstruct the south. We will prove to them our keenness and talk about removing the effects of the war and destruction.
Kiir said: The government of the south knows exactly what is required for those who suffered from the war. He added: We also know exactly what is required for implementing the peace agreement and the importance of assuming national responsibility to run Sudan at a critical stage of its history.
On the relationship with the opposition Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), led by Mohamed Osman al-Mirghani, he said that the SPLM greatly cares about its relationship with the DUP and it sticks to it and that a meeting will be held between the leaderships of the SPLM and the DUP to discuss political developments, bilateral ties, and the programme of future cooperation. He revealed that he plans to make two important official visits to South Africa and Egypt.
In another development, a delegation representing the LRA, which is opposed to the ruling regime in Uganda, has arrived in Juba, capital of south Sudan, to begin negotiations with Kampala, with the mediation of the government of the south and in the presence of international parties. On the other hand, the Ugandan ambassador in Khartoum will arrive at the headquarters of negotiations today to receive his negotiating delegation, which is expected to arrive this week.
Riek Machar, deputy head of the south Sudan government, leads the team of Sudanese mediators between the Ugandan parties, who attacked his government’s initiative of providing financial and food aid worth around 20,000 dollars to the leader of the LRA rebels during the meeting they held in the city of Yambio in the Western Equatoria Province, southern Sudan, last month. He said that this indicates jealousy, envy and obstruction of his efforts to end the rebellion, which uses the territories of the south as a staging ground to attack Uganda. He stressed that this amount is not worth the war, which has claimed the lives of thousands of Sudanese in the south.
Machar told Al-Sharq al-Awsat that the negotiations between the Ugandan government and the LRA rebels will begin in Juba next week. He added that “the representatives of the rebels arrived at the headquarters of negotiations two days ago. The talks will begin upon the arrival of the delegation of the Ugandan government, in the presence of international parries, led by Switzerland, Italy, and Norway”. He said that “some European countries support his initiative to end the war,” which has continued for 20 years in northern Uganda and the south of neighbouring Sudan and DRCongo. He added: “This war is now a problem in the whole region and it should be ended.”
Machar expressed his anger at the attack of international organizations on his government because of the aid, which LRA leader Joseph Kony received from the government of the south in the meeting between Machar and Kony. He said: “This shows the jealousy and envy of those who could not get to Kony or simply see his picture despite the resources they possess.” He asked: “What is this amount worth compared to the Sudanese lives we have lost in a war, in which we have no interest at all, in addition to the loss of property, the acts of rape of girls and women, the destruction, and the robbery of commercial trucks?”
He said that this amount is not enough to buy weapons. He added: “If the sum of 20,000 dollars is the price of peace then it is fine.”
(ST)