Sudan ruling party slams SPLM withdrawal from unity government
October 12, 2007 (KHARTOUM) — Sudan’s ruling northern party criticized former rebels from the south Friday, a day after they suspended their participation in the central government.
The decision by the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) to pull its ministers out of the national unity government was a serious blow to the fragile peace agreement that ended two decades of civil war between the north and south that left some 2 million people dead.
With its decision, the SPLM “undermines the peace process and seeks to break up the partnership and alliance with other parties to serve the foreign agenda of undermining the salvation regime (central government),” Nafi Ali Nafi, deputy chairman of the northern National Congress Party (NCP), was quoted by the official SUNA news agency as saying.
The SPLM said Thursday it was withdrawing its 18 Cabinet ministers, including the foreign minister and vice president, and three advisers from the central government. The southern party accuses the NCP of multiple breaches of the 2005 peace deal, including not sharing the country’s oil wealth as agreed, not pulling troops out of southern Sudan, and remilitarizing contested border zones where the main oil reserves are located.
Nafi contested the southerners’ claims Friday, saying it was the SPLM that had not abided by the security provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The deputy chairman said his government had redeployed 87.4 percent of its forces from the south to the north, while the SPLM had redeployed only 6.7 percent of its forces in the opposite direction.
U.S. officials and other international observers have warned that the peace agreement between Sudan’s Muslim-dominated north and predominantly Christian and animist south was in danger of unraveling, threatening a new civil war that could also dash hopes for ending a separate conflict in western Darfur.
Andrew Natsios, the White House’s special envoy to Sudan, said during a visit to Sudan last week that he was concerned about the health of the 2005 peace deal and warned of an elevated risk of renewed clashes.
The Khartoum government led by President Omar al-Bashir has rejected a border drawn by an international commission, and both sides have reportedly massed fighters along the contested region.
(AP)
Garang Ayang Kuoi
Sudan ruling party slams SPLM withdrawal from unity government
The Khartoum based government needs to understand the consiquences of breachcing agreements that are internationally witnessed. Breaching comprehensive peace agreement ( CPA) is morethan breaching franchise agreement between the South and the North. It is much worst than they think it is in Khartom. With all due repects, the SPLM and the people of South Sudan have been doing anything they could since untimely death of their leader, John Garang to make sure that the peace is keft alive, but unfortunately, the IMAMs and OMARS party has not been paying attention to our dedication toward this precious gives ( CPA). So why out crying now? why blaming foreign governments instead of IAMs and OMARs blame their incapability to bring absoluet peace and unity of the parties to the country? Those of Ali Nafie must know that our lives as citizens of Sudan matters alot than eviles politicians personal live. Fix it or the struggle will continue.
Atem Awan de Dut
Sudan ruling party slams SPLM withdrawal from unity government
Well,Nafie might as well differentiate between foreign mediation against a country’s sovereignty and intervention against a a government that calls itself the ”Salvation Regime”.
Who practically is NCP saving and from what? NCP has been playing its cards well for the last two years and they got away with almost everything they wish for or totally desire to have.
Unity State and Upper Nile are fortified with Natioal Islamic Front[NIF] soldiers in the name of protecting ‘their’ oil reserves.Protecting it from what??.
Well,the question is:If the NIF-‘NCP’ sincerely believes that they are trust-worthy of an agreement and that they could be counted on,why do they feel threatened when the SPLM calls for withdrawal of their armed forces as stipulated in the CPA?
NIF should forget about being cunning and sly when dealing with Southerners because we are wide awake and nothing is going to take away our most precious gift God has given us-OUR SOUTH.
NIF has got too many whips on their butts to ever think of EVER going back to war with the SPLA because there will be loses across the board.Just like in the game of chess.It is nolonger a showdown of who owns planes etc.IT IS ABOUT JUSTICE AND THE WORLD HAS SEEN THAT!
We can choose to be part of a greater Sudan only if we know that the Sudan is not being governed by unscrupulous,ISLAMIC idealists who wants to save the interest of the minority Arabs,or break away.It is our choice and it is right on the table since the National Islamic Front under the umbrella of National Congress Party is not prepared to live up to what they signed.
IT IS OUR DECISION AND OUR DESTINY!!
Kifly Merhu
Sudan ruling party slams SPLM withdrawal from unity government
Hi,
If all concerned parties are serious about the unity of the Sudan, why then don’t sit together and draft a unity constitution, which serves all Sudanese equally, otherwise you couldn’t have it both.
In my view, as long as no progress is made in this direction, one could take it for granted, that the secession of the south for not avoidable. The climate of mistrust and the what if question must be removed from the surface. Be visionary, think out of the box and create a modern united Sudan, which could be an inspiring example for the Horn too.