South Sudan president discusses Jonglei canal project with Egyptian officials
February 12, 2008 (CAIRO) — Sudan’s First Vice President and president of South Sudan Salva Kiir discussed with Egyptian official the prospects of resuming work in the Jonglei canal.
The Jonglei Canal, started in 1980, is a hydro-construction project in Upper Nile Province of southern Sudan designed to alter the course of the White Nile as it passes through a swampy area in southern Sudan known as the Sudd.
According to Egyptian officials, the purpose of the canal was to ensure the flow of 4.7 billion cubic meters of water annually, to be equally distributed between Egypt and Sudan. However the canal project was put to a halt in 1983 following the outbreak of the North-South civil war.
However it is not clear if the Egyptians or Sudanese are willing to go forward with a project that sparked a great deal of controversy among southerners who say that the canal will cause environmental damage as well as displacement.
Nazeef said that there is an agreement between Egypt and Sudan to reassess the project before noting that it needs “significant financial resources”.
The Egyptian premier reaffirmed his country’s commitment to assisting in the development projects particularly in Southern Sudan.
Kiir on his end hailed Cairo’s positive role in Sudan and said that he asked Nazeef to encourage Egyptian businessmen to invest in Southern Sudan.
The SPLM leader started a two-day visit to Cairo that focuses on the Egyptian role in the reconstruction projects in the South. The Southern leader will meet the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak today before flying back home.
(ST)
Peter Reat Gatkuoth
South Sudan president discusses Jonglei canal project with Egyptian officials
Egyptian were interested only on water of sudd than serving its people. You ain’t pass the project through Jonglei. You must find the other ways of getting the sudd water. Don’t you remember how badly you kill and tortured the people of sudan last two years. Let our independent come first. We will close you off from this mother Nile’s water. NO Peace with egyptian any more.
Mr Famous Big_Logic_Boy
South Sudan president discusses Jonglei canal project with Egyptian officials
Its development of jonglei or SS people i can see that de editor might be adding his own errors when presenting an article,well i beleive this connection btn Arabs and SS will result to future complain if not lets wait,because Goss is trying to nonminate Arabs as world super power in terms of development while forgetting the policy of Arabs,Good go on your way and be prepared to invesgate tomorrow’s challenges.
Moses Kuocgoor
South Sudan president discusses Jonglei canal project with Egyptian officials
I too disagree with the Egyptian Prime minister Ahmed Nazeef for bringing up the fundamentalist basic caused of civil war in Southern Sudan. This is not our President’s intention to visit Egypt. The issue of Jonglei Canal could not easily be discussed while standing in the Airport. The Jonglei canal causes the Southern Sudanese problem in term of drought that leads to death of people, livestock and crops.
Therefore it is the issue in which the Southerners should understand before accepting the project. This canal is not going to benefit us since it will drain all water in all tributaries in Southern Sudan leaving us with poverty. It is one way of shutting up in Sudan. If our late Dr. John Garang knew that canal project would benefit us he would have not fought for twenty-two years.
I wonder if the Prime understood what caused the civil in which we had stopped the canal project. The waters are our traditional revenues. They help us in every aspect of life. This is where the Southerners are strong. If we allow this propaganda policy to claim its power over resuming the canal project, then, it is better to quit Egypt manual relationship.
The Egyptians want us to fail the war of hearts and mind in Sudan. There is no resumption of Jonglei Canal, but to who plotted this project are needed to come and level it down again. I am proud that our President will be guided by our almighty God to comprehend fraud policy that comes his way.
Yong Kuai
South Sudan president discusses Jonglei canal project with Egyptian officials
The issue about Resumption of Jonglei Canal project have been repetitive in the news over the last two years, but what Salva Kiir need to do is to be very careful about resumption of this massive project.
The leadership of Southern Sudan should never let themselves be blindfold by the “so call development of Southern Sudan”. I know we are far behind the development of the country but a country where it citizens survive of organic foods can never be compared with developed Nations where people depend on genetically modified foods.
Anyway, my point here is about the resumption of Jonglei Canal Project. The Egyptian are very clever, they promised building hospitals and opening branch of Alexandria University in Southern Sudan just for the sake of fooling us in order to give them a flow of water from the Sudd.
There is no benefit that we will get from this project, we will lost water that has ended up in the Sudd, birds and fish species that are commonly found in the Sudd will be lost. What “the hell” are we getting out of this project.
Let me remind you of what Egyptian and Chinese have done to the poorest Nations like us and Loas in Asia. Eygptian and Chinese are the only countries who have created dams along the greatest rivers of Nile and Mekong and of course they are the last countries where these rivers ended. The sources of these waters are somewhere else but they control them.This what they assumed as cleverness when people enter into transnational water treaties negotiation.
Salva Kiir should never forget that he has signed a document with the international environment body (UNEP) to help us manage the Sudd. The Sudd is international listed as “Ramsar” world inheritage wetlands. Salva Kiir will either go to international court of Environmental protection he endengered these species by allowing the project to go ahead without UNEP consultation or he will regret what has done to us if Egyptian ended up exploited our resources without concrete development in Southern Sudan which everything is based upon.
Yong Kuai is B Soc Sc (Environment) Graduate working for Environment Consultancy Firm in Melbourne
Now
Magiir Kenyang
South Sudan president discusses Jonglei canal project with Egyptian officials
Well, President Kiir and his GOSS must be cautioned in all rush in opening up every resources in the land (South). Why are we so much always in hurry???
Year 2012 is better timing (after CPA) to assess and reassess our resources.
Not only should Jonglei Canal’s soil which was dug out be redumped, but all these talks and discussions must be put out of horizon.
There is no way our blessed water with fish that fed so many generations of fathers be drained to Egypt and leaving us with dry swamps or other current green and moist areas which are essential for animals and people.
Even South’s heavy rains and overall climate would be affected.
Manyang
South Sudan president discusses Jonglei canal project with Egyptian officials
I advise GOSS leadership not to be politically blindfolded by little aid offered by egyptians government as a bait to lured it into accepting this greedy project. By Manyang Deng
The visit of our president Salva Kiir Mayardit to the Eqyptians capital was really controversial if he was only going to discuss the resumption of Jonglei canal. I have seen the leadership in Juba is much interested in the resumption of this controversial project. This is shown by the frequent visit by our leaders to Cairo. When our leaders visit Cairo, there is always a mentioning of Jonglei canal project by Egyptians leadership. This kind of betrayal by our leadership is unprecedented. I do not think the masses in the south are with you.
When the Jonglei canal project was launched in 1982 the people concerned were not consulted. The regime in Kartoum at the time and Egyptians government agreed on the terms of the project without considering the negative impacts of the projects on local people in the south. They acted as if there were no people in the south who were to be affected by their greedy project. This time, I advice my government in the south not to betray our suffering people of the south. There must be a referendum on this issue if there is really a need of allowing this project to go ahead.
The people who are now affected by this project must be consulted because they are the one experiencing the consequences of this foolishly accessed project.
I advise GOSS leadership not to be politically blindfolded by little aid offered by egyptians government as a bait to lured it into accepting this greedy project. Few scholarship positions and few electricity plants offered by Cairo can not deter us from defending our rights. If Cairo is sincere about helping people in the south let it invest in other areas, such agriculture, roads, rails, hospitals and the like. This may build trust between our two countries rather than harming our relationship by pursuing this greedy project. Cairo must also apologize for having started this controversial project without consulting the people concern. The very people Cairo ignored, are the real people of the land and have now grown to defend their rights even if come rain or sun shine.
For GOSS leadership to be aware of the impacts of this greedy project, let it send it team of experts to the areas affected. This will give GOSS an insight into how controversial this greedy projects is. Our president must also pay visit to the areas affected by the canal so that he can be aware of what he always discuss with Egyptians leaders. In my view, GOSS must concentrate on ensuring that CPA is implemented fully rather than engaging in harnful projects like Jonglei canal. I hope Jonglei canal would not be approved by our generation who had seen the negative impacts of this greedy project first hand. I came from the area which is suffering from the wounds caused by this very project.
The author of this comment know exactly where the big crane that excavated the Jonglei canal is.
Long live the coalition against Jonglei canal!
By Manyang Deng
Jur_likang a likan'g
South Sudan president discusses Jonglei canal project with Egyptian officials
Jonglei canal in the horizon again !! God save us.
Pete
South Sudan president discusses Jonglei canal project with Egyptian officials
I just wanted to thank each of you who have given up their precious time to comments on this boiling topic. You guys have input a very tremendous points and I hope GOSS officials can read your comments. What else can I say? Each of you has pointed out a very crucial point.
Majok e Deng
South Sudan president discusses Jonglei canal project with Egyptian officials
Jonglei canal was a scam and the Eyptian shouldn’t dare repeating it. It was halted militarily by the partriotic Southern Sudanese revolutionaries. Such project should be decided by the Southern Sudanese not dubious Eygptians officials who sporadically abuse our fellow Southern Sudanese in Eygpt. The talks about Jonglei Canal must stop.
Majok e Deng
James James
South Sudan president discusses Jonglei canal project with Egyptian officials
Good to see everybody talking nicely today even those who are on the waiting list of brain transplant like Trueson and his immediate cousin Biar, tried to extract the only remaining part of their good brain into this issue, thank you everybody.
In fact, so called Jongolei canal is one of the standing issues which sent us to fight for 22 years, I am sure Abyei problem is going to be better than this equatient.
We actually fought to stop arab from any sort of spoilage regarding our land, in other hand,we don’t want arab to rename our places, create unwanted lakes and canals like this one, and most of all, to open any water bed that they are not going to provide water purification and reasonable maintainces.
So the answer for Egyptians is simple NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! let them go and get water from mediterreanan sea. BIG STOP.
Alneenyo
South Sudan president discusses Jonglei canal project with Egyptian officials
The issue of resuming jonglei canal will be a tribble mistake. what are we going to gain of this projeck, As we all know the only people will benefit out of this are Egyptian. They are ony interested of better their life while we suffer here in south sudan lets wake up and smell some coffee canal jonglei will only give us result of drought in south sudan. we all know south sudan can not stand the drought if we allow the resumtion of the canal it will be like signing our own death warrent. have we already forgotten that canal jonglei was part of the conflict that cause two million lives and displace a dozen.most south sudan depend on those swamps, it mayed meant nothink to Egyptian but to most southerns it meant survivble most people of south sudan dont depend on our government, they depend on their lifestock and their lifestock depend on those swamps let us not forget those fishermen who fed their families with fish from the sudd. this arabs are not going to rest untill they see us vanish.
i only hope our leader will see this threat that once again nocking on our door and put it away once and for all.. or may be it time to pratice damocracy a little, let south sudan citizen decide what they want! and iam pretty sure it is not canal.
( i call this the out coming genocide)