Is Sudan’s Al-Bashir a unionist or separatist?
By Sabrino Majok Majok*
May 7, 2007 — Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) is a serious and scientific attempt by Sudanese especially the marginalized majority to give Sudan’s unity a last chance after the country fought bitter war within itself for more than 50 years. To date, experiences and memories of gloomy days are as fresh as they were in the past. Thus, nobody should be under illusion to assume that crimes committed by successive, illegal leaders in Khartoum are forgotten by the masses against whom all kinds of ill treatments were directed: slavery, oppression, forceful displacement, and genocide.
Therefore, when agreement was reached in Naivasha on January 9, 2005, Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM), then official representative of the marginalized peoples, was not oblivious about war crimes and crimes against humanity by governments that have come and gone since a theoretical and mechanical independence in 1956. But SPLM signed the CPA so as to “give unity a chance,” after having secured Southerners’ rights to Self-Determination
Further, the parties to CPA agreed that the unity of Sudan be made “attractive” especially to Southerners. And the government of National Unity was and still is entrusted to implement this special clause of the Peace Agreement.
One may ask, what characterizes attractiveness of Sudan’s unity? Obviously, for unity to be attractive it must address the following: (1) power and wealth of the country must be equitably and qualitatively be shared amongst citizens of the Sudan irrespective of race, gender, political affiliation, religion, ethnicity, language, or region, (2) complete, faithful, and timely implementation of CPA, (3) there must be no so-called Awlad Al Balad (sons of the land), but all Sudanese must be treated equally and respectfully without exception, and (4) South Sudan and other war affected or least developed areas must be brought to the same standard as those at centre. This is because unity voids of one or all of the above would literally be repulsive and will inevitably cause other wars, sufferings and breakdown of the country.
As expected, Field Marshal Umar Hasan Ahmad Al-Bashir, the leader of National congress Party, has his own interpretation of what it takes to make unity attractive to Southerners. He erroneously believes that violations, unreasonable delays, or abrogation of CPA will eventually force stakeholders to submit and forget their rights, including Southerners’ rights to secession.
So far President Al-Bashir has violated many articles of CPA’s six protocols: Machakos, Power, wealth, Abyei, Resolution of two areas (Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile), and security arrangement, per CPA Text, Nairobi, Kenya, January 9, 2005 (please refer to appropriate sections of the text).
In brief and point form:
ON MACHAKOS PROTOCOL, Al-Bashir has violated the following, among others:
– Gender equality
– Social, political, and economic justice of citizens
– development and resources allocation
– Programmes of repatriation, resettlement, rehabilitation, and reconstruction
– North/South border
ON POWER SHARING, AL-BASHIR HAS VIOLATED:
– Equity and qualitative sharing of cabinet posts in clusters: national sovereignty, economical ministries, and Services sector
– A clause on reflection of the unity and diversity of the country in all federal ministries
– Human rights and fundamental freedoms
– Quest for amicable settlement of disputes
– National reconciliation and healing process
– Funding for population census which should have been completed by the second year of CPA
– Agreed principles on National capital and its administration
– Cultural, religious, and social sensitivity and diversity of Sudanese
– Rights of non-Muslims in the capital
– Activities of UN and NGOs
– Popularization of peace agreement through media such as FM Radio Mirror
– Affirmative action in civil services
– Representation of the marginalized peoples in national security service
– Domestic and national foreign policies
– Policies of national civil service commission
– Foreign Affairs and international representation
– Representation of the marginalized in national police, postal service, civil aviation, national economic policies, national museums and national heritage sites, etc
– Enactment of Political Parties Act
– Enactment of National Electoral Law
– Wording of Judicial Service Commission Act
– Powers of Presidency
ON WEALTH SHARING, HE HAS VIOLATED:
– Allocation of wealth emanating from resources of the Sudan
– Development of infrastrucuture, human resources, sustainable economic development and capacity
– Activities of National Oil Commission
– Establishment of Land commission
– Establishment of a system to monitor daily production of oil in all Sudan
– Revelation of oil sharing formula between GOS [NCP] and oil Concessions
– Mechanism to monitor Oil Revenue Stabilization Account (SRSA)
– Policies of Annual benchmark price
– Establishment and revelation of a system that is used to calculate and monitor net oil revenue
– Timely transfer to GOSS and oil producing states
– Establishment of Future Generation Fund
– Allocation of 50% of national non-oil revenue collected in Southern Sudan
– Establishment of formulae for allocation resources to war affected areas
– Dual banking system
– Appointment of limited number of SPLM/GoSS to access all existing oil contracts
– Division of Government assets
– Fiscal Accountability
ON THE RESOLUTION OF THE ABYEI CONFLICT, MR. PRESIDENT VIOLATED:
– pre-agreed principles of ABC Report
– Establishment of Executive Council
– Establishment of mechanism to transfer shares of oil to Abyei residents
– Establishment of Abyei Resettlement, Reconstruction Fund
– Facilitation and resettlement of the residents of Abyei area, especially the nine Ngok Dinka Chiefdoms
– Peace and reconciliation process in Abyei area
– Urbanization and development projects of Abyei
– Division of oil revenue from Abyei
– Security in Abyei area
ON THE RESOLUTION OF THE CONFLICT IN SOUTHERN KORDOFAN AND BLUE NILE STATES
On this protocol, Al-Bashir has already violated the following article, among others:
– Establishment of Presidential Monitoring and evaluation Commission
– Presidential additional allocation to state
– SAF troop level in two states
– Humanitarian needs
– Protection and security of two states
– States shares of national wealth
SECURITY ARRANGEMENT
On Security Arrangement, Al-Bashir has massively contravened on many articles. For example, he:
– Refuses to redeploy SAF north of South/North border
– Still supports, trains, and arms militia or Other Armed Groups (OAGs)
– Refuses to structures all law enforcement organs
– Refuses to foster conducive atmosphere for peace and tranquility
– Hinders good governance, democracy, and civil liberty
– Restricts humanitarian assistance for war affected regions
– Thwarts promotion and dissemination of peace culture
– Still orders illegal SAF movements in oil rich area
– Embarks on hostile acts and usually sends an unauthorized replenishment of military equipment and supplies to areas covered by CPA
– Hinders the work the work of UN support mission in Sudan
– Shields and Protects violators of security arrangement
– Refuses to adopt a collaborative approach for handling OAGs in the South Sudan
Incredibly, President Al-Bashir has managed to violate this much on CPA just within 2 years’ period as shown above. It’s everybody’s guess what he will do in the next four years, if he wins re-elected. Indeed, Under Al-Bashir’s Presidency every peace pack signed in the country such as CPA, Darfur and Eastern Sudan Peace Agreements will always be in danger and risk abrogation. But the marginalized majority can truly and positively change the course of events by unseating Al-Bashir, democratically, come 2008 general elections. And this will save the country from unfortunate eventualities!
* Sabrino Majok Majok is a Sudan Tribune’s regular contributor. Reach him via [email protected]