South Sudan organizes workshop on North-South Border

By James Gatdet Dak

November 16, 2008 (JUBA) – The semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) will conduct a two-day workshop beginning on Monday on the more than 1,000-long border line between North and South Sudan.

The workshop is being organized by the North-South Border Committee as one of its information and knowledge sharing activities in collaboration with International Boundary Research Unit (IBRU).

IBRU is a renowned world stage within the Durham University in the United Kingdom (UK) and builds its successful collaboration with the North-South Border Committee on the technical support exchange since 2007.

The North-South Border Committee was set up per the provisions of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) to demarcate the borderline between the two parts of the country.

The GoSS component of the Committee is chaired by Engineer Riek Degoal Juer, who is also the deputy chairperson of the overall national Committee, chaired by Professor Abdella Sadig Bashir of GoNU.

Both of them are expected to brief the participants on the status of the demarcation process.

The workshop will be chaired by the Vice President, Dr. Riek Machar Teny, after it is officially opened by the GoSS President, General Salva Kiir Mayardit, and participants are expected to include policy makers (members of the executive and parliament), representatives of Border technical committee, organized forces, international experts, diplomatic corps, and UN agencies.

Sudanese and international experts are expected to make presentations that will provide practical instruction on a range of topics.

Definitions of boundaries to be discussed will include physical landscape, features of human landscapes and geometric boundary.

Boundary recovery and information management to be shared will include historical materials, maps and evidentiary value of maps in addition to boundary negotiation, mediation and conciliation, appropriate demarcation and trans-boundary resource management.

Early demarcation of the North-South border is important for both upcoming general elections in 2009 and referendum in the South in 2011.

In the recently concluded South-South Dialogue held in Juba, all the political forces in the South came up with a unified resolution calling for complete demarcation of the North-South border before the coming elections.

The people of Southern Sudan shall vote in the 2011 referendum to either confirm the unity of Sudan or opt to create an independent country with well-defined borderline with its would-be neighboring country, North Sudan.

The people of Abyei shall also vote in the same year to either remain with the North or join the South if it becomes independent, while the people of Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile shall have popular consultations within the North.

(ST)