TEXT – Sudan’s Salva Kiir says peace deal does not work
Jan 11, 2007 (JUBA) — Two years after the triumphant signing of Sudan’s north-south peace deal, the Sudan’s First Vice-President and President of southern Sudan government said on Tuesday 9 January that peace deal ending the 21-year civil war isn’t working.
He cited November clashes between Sudanese government forces and ex-rebels from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Malakal, which killed more than 130 people and wounded 400.
“The first dividend of peace is security and development,” which so far has not been achieved, Kiir said, adding al-Bashir’s administration could have stopped the violence.
Below the full text of the First Vive-President, President of the Government of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit on the celebration of the second anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in the capital of Southern Sudan, Juba on 9 January 2007.
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A. GREETINGS AND OPENING WORDS:
– H.E. Field Marshall Omar Hassan Ahmed El Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan
– Excellencies, Ministers and Representatives from IGAD countries
– H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny Vice President Government of Southern Sudan
– Hon. James Wani Igga, Speaker Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly
– Excellencies, Ministers, GONU/GOSS
– H.E. Major General Clement Wani Konga, Governor, Central Equatoria State
– Excellencies, Ambassadors and Representatives of Government and Non-Governmental International organizations;
– Members of the Diplomatic Corps; United Nations; UNMIS; and the World Bank
– Leaders of various Political Parties in Sudan
– Religious Leaders
– Distinguished invited Guests
– Compatriots, fellow Countrymen, Women, Youth and Children
– Ladies and Gentlemen:
Please allow me to seize this opportunity to salute and welcome you to Juba on this joyous day, marking the second Anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended decades of blood shed in our country. Allow me also at the outset to convey to you my best wishes for the New Year, 2007. A year we have dedicated for peace and development in our country. But much as we rejoice today on the celebration of the 2nd anniversary of the CPA, our nation is grieved to have such a wonderful day in the absence of our leader, Dr. John Garang de Mabior, the icon and the architect of the Naivasha peace negotiations that culminated into the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, we are celebrating. Dr. John Garang de Mabior, whose tomb lies here in Juba, stands as an everlasting monument of courage, vision and purposeful determination. Late Dr. John shall neither be forgotten by our nation, nor by the generations to come. May the Almighty God rest his soul in eternal peace!
I also pay tribute to my brothers and sisters, sons and daughters who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we enjoy the fruits of peace. War, indeed, had its heroes and martyrs on both sides of the trenches, and the memory of their sacrifices shall never be extinguished from our minds.
On behalf of you all, let me extend our welcome and thanks once again to all those who have converged in Juba to share with us the joys of this day, to offer us words of encouragement and support to sustain the CPA.
I salute Field Marshall Omer Hassan Ahmed El Bashir, the President of the Republic and all members of his party, the National Congress, and at the top of the list, the Vice President of the Republic, Ustaz, Ali Osman Mohd Taha, for the courageous and historical step they took as party leaders to sign such a brave peace agreement with the SPLM, which ended decades of war in our country.
I salute the SPLA officers, NCOs, men and women, for without them this day would not have come to pass.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Allow me also to salute the IGAD countries and IGAD Partners Forum (IPF) for their tireless efforts during the tough peace negotiations between the SPLM and the then Government of Sudan and especially, my brother, Rt. General Lazaro Sumbeiywo, who is always referred to as the midwife of the CPA. I hope he is here with us, please accept our word of appreciation.
Twelve months ago, Dear Compatriots, I stood before you on this platform to celebrate what I then called the finest moment in Sudan’s modern history: the conclusion of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Today, I also stand before you to make an honest stock-taking of what we have achieved and what we have failed to achieve in translating that agreement into tangible realities that people like you, Dear Compatriots, see and live.
As a man who affixed his signature on the Machakos Protocol, the Framework Agreement on which the CPA was based, I shall not dishonor my history by turning my back on those agreements. And, as a leader I shall not dishonor it by keeping silent on any violation of the Agreements. Indeed I acknowledge that there are failures on our part that led to delays in the CPA implementation. We boldly admit those failures, but I shall not make the failures of others to be my own.
Need I to tell you, Dear Countrymen, that the man who stands before you now wears three hats: the hat of the First Vice President of the Republic, that of the President of the Government of Southern Sudan as well as the hat of the SPLM Chairman, the party signatory to the CPA. My responsibilities therefore, diverge and intertwine and in taking stock of what were achieved, or not achieved, I shall wear those hats interchangeably.
Fellow countrymen/women,
I have called, in my address to you last year, the CPA as a milestone in our modern history, and indeed it is. The CPA was carefully negotiated over a long period of time. The document is detailed and comprehensive; it ushered in radical change in Sudan’s body politics in order to put an end once and for all to armed conflicts in our country and stifle potential sources of conflicts.
It was designed to ensure an equitable and transparent distribution of wealth and resources. It was intended to create a level of ground for all Sudanese political forces so that they compete freely, in their multiple diversities, and so that the Sudanese people themselves democratically choose their leaders in free and fair elections. Above all, it has ensured for you the people of Southern Sudan, the right to self-determination while urging us to create an environment for making the unity of our country an attractive option.
As leaders, the question would now be, are we working towards making the unity of our country attractive or have we achieved any of those goals?
The answer is regrettably NO! Problems, serious problems still remain to be resolved. The first dividend of peace is security of persons and property. Peace evidently is being frustrated by a number of factors. For those peace breaches which were locally-bred, our infant security institutions promptly and adequately were able to resolve them.
Equally, country citizens, your government, the GOSS inherited a security situation involving outside forces, namely that of the LRA. That situation was a cause of concern to our government as well as to that of neighboring Uganda. In dealing with it, our government opted to seek a peaceful settlement to the conflict through mediation between the government of Uganda and the LRA. Cease-fire was declared and it still holds, while the on and off negotiations are on course. All the same, there are still elements who wish to wreak havoc in other parts of Southern Sudan with the support of those who do not want the South to be peaceful. This will not be allowed to continue unended. LRA will have to choose between war and peaceful settlement of the conflict, otherwise the GOSS will not mediate while its citizens are being butchered. Compatriots, please allow me to walk you through the long list of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement violations by the combined elements of the Sudanese Armed Forces and their allies.
B. THE SECURITY SITUATION IN SOUTHERN SUDAN TWO YEARS AFTER THE CPA:
– The continuous military support from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to the various armed groups in Southern Sudan, including the Uganda rebels, the Lords Resistance Army (LRA) is still alarming.
– The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) support to the militia in Southern Sudan, resulted in the recent military confrontation in Malakal, where more than 130 people were killed. This was un-called for and should have been stopped by our partners before it could reach that stage.
– The killing of more than 38 innocent civilians along Juba –Torit, Nimule and Bor roads in October this recent past year, resulted in capturing 15 members of SAF within the JIU around Juba. As we speak 10 of these culprits are in our custody. Five captives were released by a Senior SAF Officer to unknown areas. We demand that these criminals are brought back to prison for trial or else, we charge the officers responsible for their release.
– The security situation in Western Bahr El Ghazal (Wau) remains volatile and can erupt at anytime due to SAF’s logistical support to the pro- Government militia commander, Major General Tom El Nour, who is up to this date, in Sudan Armed Forces’ pay list. Gen. Tom El Nour and his colleagues, Gabriel Tanginya and Thomas Mabior Dhol are accorded direct access to the National Media where they are given wide coverage especially by Radio Omdurman, which is under full control of the NCP. The PDF, Fursan and other militia groups including the Ambororo are settling in Raga area, displacing the citizens from their land.
– The oil fields in Western and Eastern Upper Nile State are increasingly becoming breading grounds for inevitable military show-down between the SAF, its proxy militia against the SPLA forces, given the present Ministry of Energy’s policy of creating the so called “Petroleum Police Force,” the role that should have been delegated to the JIUs a long time ago.
– The recent call by the Government and the people of Southern Sudan for handing over the two militia generals, Gabriel Tanginya and his co-suspect, Thomas Mabior Dhol, who orchestrated the recent Malakal shoot-out has not received any response, so our partners in Khartoum, are harboring the two wanted militia generals. I am still urging H.E. the President of the Republic to let these criminals be handed over to the Government of Southern Sudan for trial.
– The deadline for the disbandment of Other Armed Groups in Southern Sudan as stipulated by the CPA has expired since 9th, January 2006. But they are still being maintained by the SAF.
– The Minister of the National Defense in the presence of H.E. the President of the Republic, promised that on 18. 12. 2006 all their militia, operating in Southern Sudan would be completely disarmed or disband. This has not happened up to this date. The people of Southern Sudan and the GOSS hold the minister concerned responsible for all these violations that have claimed innocent lives in our country at the very moment when peace already prevails.
– Dear Compatriots, as we speak now, these violations are going on live. A truck coming from Nimule on Sunday (two days) ago was ambushed by some elements believed to be SAF supported militia. Four people were killed in cold blood. The question one would like to ask our partners, the NCP is: for how long would they continue supporting these elements? And what is the ending result that they want to achieve? The people and the GOSS, hereby appeal to H.E. President El Bashir and the entire leadership of the NCP to restrain SAF from these activities and give peace a chance.
C. ABYEI PROTOCOL:
– On the Abyei Protocol, the SPLM and the GOSS stand firm in full support of the Abyei Border Commission (ABC) Experts’ decision. The decision of the experts is final and binding as per the CPA, on Abyei Protocol and neither party has no right to change it. The Experts never exceeded their mandate, but did what they were mandated to do. The people of Abyei must have a functioning Administration, so that they also enjoy the fruits of peace, they had struggled for. In the light of the deadlock reached by the parties in the CPA, I hereby take this opportunity to call upon IGAD, the friends of IGAD who helped in the peace process and the international community to help our partners to implement the Abyei Protocol without any further delays.
D. NORTH/SOUTH BOUNDARIES COMMITTEE:
– Up to now, the North- South Boundary Committee is dysfunctional. Thus most of the oil producing areas belonging to the south, now wrongly annexed to the northern Sudan, have potential oil deposits which, the South does not get any share. According to the Wealth Sharing Protocol, only oil revenue generated in the South is subject for 50% share. But oil produced in the north, the south gets zero percent.
– The demarcation of the North –South boundary is essential in ensuring withdrawal and redeployment of the forces as per the Security Arrangement Protocol. Another important aspect in this exercise is to ensure referendum process as per the Machakos Protocol. Up to the 9th of January, 2007, the SAF is supposed to have withdrawn 83% of its forces, the remaining 17% to be withdrawn by 9th, of July 2007. So far the whole of Upper Nile State, Unity State, and parts of Jonglei State still remain under the SAF occupation.
E. DEMOCRATIC TRANSFORMATION:
My comments on the CPA implementation, Dear Compatriots, shall not be complete without addressing the issue of democratic transformation. As a party that pledged ourselves, in the Machakos Protocol, to the creation of a system of rule of law based on justice, democracy, good governance, and the upholding of human rights and the values of tolerance in diversity, I shall be remiss if I do not draw attention to inexplicable delays in the implementation of the political reforms dictated by the CPA and stipulated in the National Interim Constitution. Laws that contradict the constitution are still in the books. They are to be urgently removed. Practices that are incompatible with the Bill of Rights, indeed obstructive to the exercise of those rights, still continue with impunity. As a party to the CPA, the SPLM has publicly distanced itself from actions such as censorship of the press and the banning of lawful assemblies. No one has the right to set bounds on the exercise of those rights as they are expounded in our constitutions: the Interim National Constitution and the Interim Constitution of the Southern Sudan.
The rights of non- Muslims, especially in the National Capital, are a cause of concern. We have sought at Naivasha to protect those rights and succeeded in agreeing on a legal framework for such protection. The most flagrant abuse to those rights took place on New Year’s Eve at All Saints Cathedral in Khartoum. Khartoum’s law-enforcement agencies gave themselves the right to enter that Cathedral, purportedly in pursuit of certain trouble makers and threw tear gas canisters at worshipers who were going through their rites on a day celebrated by Christians all over the world. Hon. Abel Alier, former Vice President of the Republic and President of the then High Executive Council of Southern Region was crashed by the panicking crowd. Thanks God he survived it.
In this situation one may ask who, are the real trouble makers? I wonder whether those who trampled on that place of worship on such a holy day were ever aware of what the CPA has ordained on respect of places of worship of all religions. This disdain for the beliefs of others must be stopped and those who were responsible for the incident in All Saints Cathedral must be held accountable.
I know where you, President Bashir and our other colleague in the Institution of the Presidency, Ustaz Ali Osman Mohd. Taha, stand on this and other issues relating to democratic transformation. But if there are elements who are unable to live with democratic transformation, they should either reform, or they too, be taken away from the road to peace. The CPA and our Interim Constitutions are solemn documents. They are to be obeyed and implemented, but not frustrated by any body, especially those who gave an oath of allegiance to them.
For the democratic transformation to be achieved timely, the concerned parties must comply with the time table of the national elections that is to take place four years after the signing and hopefully full implementation of the CPA. We in the SPLM guarantee the 25% for our women and will ensure that our Diaspora also equally and fully participate during the elections. Other political Parties need to be funded to ensure electoral process where there is equal opportunity for all parties in the country to compete on the equal footing.
DARFUR
While we are now celebrating peace, dear compatriots, Darfur still bleeds. Together with our partners, we have been working hard with the help of sisterly countries to bring peace to that dear part of our country. That mission is not complete. It is fraustrated by the increasing attacks by the Janjaweed, by the so-called ‘Borders Security Forces’ and regrettably by the meaningless split of the Darfur political forces. We shall continue our efforts as a party and a government to find a permanent solution to those problems.
Dear Compatriots
Let me also add another word of caution. We in the SPLM, the other signatory to the CPA, are one party united in vision and objectives. Our commitment to the CPA is unwavering. This is what I call on all our partisans and members, at all levels, to uphold. This is also what I know our partners are fully aware of. However, there are certain elements who wish to divide us into what they call Awlad Garang and Awlad who?, I do not know. May I, therefore, unequivocally say that our Late Leader, may his soul rest in eternal peace, has bequeathed on us, alongside the CPA, a vision and a message. This vision and that message have indelibly impressed themselves on our minds, and to them we remain committed. Those words, I call upon those who wish to see us divided to abandon their illusions or delusions on what the SPLM stands for. The SPLM, and I as its leader and as President of the Government of Southern Sudan promise all, and above all our partners that we shall stand firm by our commitment to the genuine implementation of the CPA and the resolute partnership with the National Congress Party to achieve that goal.
Dear Citizens,
In the past twelve months I had occasion to visit almost all the IGAD countries and the Troika states. In those visits I discussed, among other things and at the highest levels, progress made in the implementation of the CPA as well as delays in such implementation and the causes of these delays. But the implementation of the agreement depends in the first place, on us, the Sudanese. We are both the signatories and beneficiaries of this agreement. We are therefore, duty-bound neither to fail our people inside, nor our friends and well–wishers outside.
Dear Citizens,
I recall, once again my address to you last year on the First CPA Anniversary. I told you then that I commit myself before God and our people to serve you with prudence, diligence and in all transparency. I have nothing to hide and wish every one of you, especially those in government to be the same. I also promised you to fight corruption in public life with all the might of the law. To achieve that end, we have constituted, with the approval of Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly, the Anti –Corruption Commission, with powers to protect public property, investigate cases of corruption involving public officers as well as the private sector and combat malpractices in public institutions. That Commission has my full support and, therefore, should never shy away from addressing corrupt practices from wherever they derive including the Presidency and the Cabinet offices. NO BODY IS ABOVE THE LAW. I repeat, NO BODY IS ABOVE THE LAW.
However, allow me also to put the issue of corruption in context. Infant regimes emerging out of conflict situations with weak government institutions become prone to attacks by corrupt elements from within and from outside. Accordingly, the strengthening of our administrative institutions, the reinforcement of our laws especially those relating to contracts, financial management, procurement and the toughening of our public audit are pre-requisites to the fight against corruption. I therefore call upon all those concerned in the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development, the Auditor General Chambers and the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly to double their efforts so that appropriate laws, institutions and measures are put in place.
Of late Dear Citizens, a series of accusations against some of our ministers and officers were made public especially in the Khartoum press and other media, such as Internet. Let me say loud and clear that every person and any person to who an accusatory finger has been pointed at must fend for himself/herself. And has the legal right to clear his/her name and honor. But on my part, I censure any attempt to use corruption as a tool of political blackmail, intimidation or defamation. Corruption is a disease whose affliction is not limited to Juba or the Government of Southern Sudan. It is prevalent, regrettably, all over Sudan. That is why I call upon all forces in our country: North, South, East and West including government legislative organs, the media and civil society organizations, to mount a national campaign against corruption at all levels of governance. Attacking corruption out of context allows it and its perpetrators to escape unhurt.
Dear citizens,
On this day of joy and happy celebration, I chose to speak frankly and openly. If I have chosen otherwise, the celebration would have been a sham and the rejoicing hollow. Nevertheless, I did so while looking forward with hopeful expectations to brighter days and a better future to all of us. So let us gather our energies, tax our brains and exercise our minds to achieve those hopes through the full implementation of the CPA
Compatriots, fellow countrymen/women:
Before I conclude, I must now wear one of my hats, that one as the President of the Government of Southern Sudan. Our stock- taking exercise of what has been achieved and what has not been achieved in the last twelve months is now directed to your Government of Southern Sudan, (GOSS). Finding out what has your Government (GOSS) achieved in the last twelve months.
During the second opening session of our Parliament (Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly, September 2006, your government presented a blueprint document known as a 200 day plan of action, as a means to move forward as quickly as possible; the framework for this was provided by the time-bound Action Plan. That Plan clearly specified a limited number of priority policy actions, activities, projects, and programs, which we in the government were committed to complete in a specified time frame. This was what the 200 Day Action Plan intended to achieve.
In that regard, my office has received numerous reports from various ministries detailing what they have done as individual ministries within the specified period of time. However, within each of those selected goals, the Government of Southern Sudan and its development partners had intended to take many critical actions; stressing that, during the 200 days, the myriad of formidable challenges facing the Government and its people in Southern Sudan would not be overcome. However, through this short-term of 200 day Action Plan the Government intended to engender an implementation culture in the public service and to lay firm foundations for a concerted and sustained development Programme for the citizens of Southern Sudan.
As for the reports from the GOSS ministries, time would not allow me to read out the achievements and failures of each ministry, but I call upon the members of the media and press to interview all GOSS ministries so that our general public is well informed about the activities each has carried out in that specific period, out lining achievements and failures of each of them. That way, our people will be well served with the information they deserve to know about their government operations.
Our distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish all of you a joyous time with us here in Juba and safe return to your various destinations.
Thank you, God bless.
(ST)