Kenya, South Sudan jointly address peace deal implementation
February 22, 2009 (NAIROBI) – Representatives of Kenya and Southern Sudan appeared at a joint press conference Sunday to address the implementation of Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2005, which was brokered in Kenya ending a 22-year civil war.
Kenya intends to host a conference to review the matter in two or three months. Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula said that the Council of Ministers of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the regional organization under whose auspices the CPA was mediated, will set a date for the evaluation meeting at the IGAD meeting next month in Djibouti.
Appearing alongside Wetangula, a representative of the semi-autonomous region of Southern Sudan, Minister for Regional Cooperation Barnaba Marial Benjamin, described the CPA as “a baby of Kenya” in need of “paternal care.”
“Time has come for the Government of Kenya to know how far the CPA has achieved and take the lead to assess the hurdles,” he said.
The CPA involves a series of interrelated timetables of steps that are mandated before the interim period outlined in the agreement runs out in 2011. According to Benjamin, the delays involved in one part of the agreement are thus threatening the whole peace.
“Census, redeployment of troops, wealth sharing, elections and Abyei Protocol are all interlinked to border demarcation. The Government of Southern Sudan cannot carry census without knowing the extent for which it requires to count its population, it cannot count electoral without knowing its limit, the redeployment of soldiers on South-North border respectively cannot be determined without the demarcation of the borders etc.”
Sudan’s technical border committee has delayed release of its report. “These
delays will inevitably affect election preparations and implementation of other key benchmarks of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement,” the UN Secretary-General said in his most recent report on Sudan.
Benjamin emphasized the centrality of the disputed border demarcation. Referring to northern officials, he said “They fear that after the border demarcation, the south Sudan will take 100 percent of oil revenue because the oil wells will be within the south. There are concerns we have raised to the regional countries about what needs to be done.”
In recent weeks the Southern Sudan delegation has visited other neighbouring countries including Uganda, Egypt and Ethiopia.
The delegation also comprised Minister for Telecommunication Ger Aloung, Chairperson of Regional and International Cooperation of Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly Hon. Agnes Lasuba, Director of Protocol in the Ministry of Regional Cooperation Sebit Bullen and Southern Sudan’s Head of Mission to Kenya, John Andruga Duku.
Other items raised during the discussions held Friday and Saturday include alleged harassment of Kenyan traders in Sudan, plans for the Kenya Revenue Authority to train Southern Sudanese in tax collection, and plans for Southern Sudanese students to pay local fees while studying at Kenyan institutes of higher education.
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Dinka Aliap Chawul
Kenya, South Sudan jointly address peace deal implementation
YEZ. CPA is A KENYANS BABY anyway but its weaning is OURS so let forgot about referendum which CPA requires because of all these roadblocks on its way and prepare for our NEW NATION OF SOUTHERN SUDAN been declare unilaterally like other countries do e.g Kosovo without anybody/one concerns and these preparations should be; STRENGTHENS OUR ARMY(SPLA),IMPROVES LIVING STANDARDS OF PEOPLE IN ALL THE AREAS WE HAVE AUTHORITY OVER,IMPROVING QUALITY OF POLICE AND PRISONS SERVICEMEN IN SOUTHERN SUDAN IN ORDER TO DEAL WITH HIGH CRIMES RATE WITHIN OUR COMMUNITIES,EMPOWERING EDUCATION FACILITIES AND HEALTHS SERVICES, JUDICIARY AND SO MANY OTHERS. Some of my brothers amongst you might be opposing but that is how it goes with me DEAR.MAY GOD BLESS SOUTHERN SUDAN AND HER PEOPLE
Edward Ladu Terso
Kenya, South Sudan jointly address peace deal implementation
It seems to me that the NCP is trying to backtract from the implementation of the CPA given the many obstacles it has been placing all along. The interim period is ending and major protocols in the CPA which should transform the whole Sudan into a democracy, are not yet implemented. Will elections take place in July this year? We can only conjecture as census results are not yet out, the north-south border not demarcated, electoral constituencies not demarcated, deployment not effected, oil revenue not well shared and whjat have you. It all boils down to a sort of overt refusal to the the implementation of the CPA through. This is the time for the international and regional communities and states which witnessed the signing of the CPA to do their job. They must exert efforts to see to it that the implementation of the CPA is done smoothly. Nobody wants to go back to war. If the NCP is reluctant, then let the South, west, east and far north break up into independent countries to be recognized by the UN and all the world countries. Marginalization cannot be continued by five per cent of the population endlessly. We must find an amical solution or we resort to a seccessionist solution like in the former USSR.