South Sudan VP calls for sensitization on North-South border demarcation process

By James Gatdet Dak

November 19, 2008 (JUBA) – The Vice President of the semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS), Dr. Riek Machar Teny, called on the North-South Border Technical Committee to sensitize the population of Southern Sudan on the process of demarcating the North-South boundary.

Machar made the remarks during the closing session of a two-day workshop on North-South boundary demarcation process which he moderated, and designed to help policy-makers and practitioners develop and enhance their capacities on boundary-making processes strategies.

Members of executive and legislative organs, senior members of organized forces, Sudanese and international experts and representatives of the United Nations agencies participated during the two-day discussions.

Machar also urged the Committee to soon brief both the Council of Ministers (CoM) and the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly (SSLA) for information sharing on the current status of the demarcation process.

Issues discussed included physical landscape, features of human landscapes and geometric boundary, recovery and information management, historical materials, maps and evidentiary value of maps.

The workshop also discussed presentations made by the Director of the UK-based International Boundaries Research Unit (IBRU), Martin Pratt, on boundary negotiation, mediation and conciliation, appropriate demarcation and trans-boundary resource management.

Senior representatives of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) made presentations on the Geographic Information System (GIS) Unit, which displayed the latest imagery mapping technology available and how to demarcate the actual boundaries on the ground.

The Deputy Chairperson of the national North-South Border Technical Committee, Engineer Riek Degoal, who chairs the GoSS component of the Committee, briefed the participants on the current status of the demarcation process, which he said was in the stage of analyzing the information they collected.

He explained that the information was based on colonial maps, documentation and historical verbal information from chiefs and elders, etc.

After analyzing the information, he said they would then begin to draw the supposedly January 1, 1956 map on the paper before moving to demarcate it on the ground after it is endorsed by the Presidency.

Engineer Riek assured that his technical team has been in constant consultations with the policy-makers and other stakeholders in Southern Sudan, adding that it would not commit itself to the outcome of the demarcation process before it finally consults with the Government of Southern Sudan on the issue.

He narrated on challenges facing his team along the vast North-South border areas, citing insecurity as the first obstacle to their movements in the counties bordering the North.

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

The demarcation process, according to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the North-South war in January 2005, would have been conducted four years ago during the pre-interim period of the first six months before the interim period of six years began.

The formation of the Committee tasked with the job was delayed by the Presidency for two years since January 2005.

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 per the CPA to either confirm the unity of Sudan or opt to create an independent country, which needs a demarcated boundary 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)