The signs of desperation in the camp of NCP

By Zechariah Manyok Biar

September 28, 2010 — The National Congress Party (NCP) is showing signs of desperation in their recent comments on the upcoming referenda. Some days ago, the Minister of Information in the federal government of Sudan and a member of NCP threatened that Southerners would lose their citizenship and privileges in the North if South Sudan becomes independent next year. Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Karti also accused the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) of harassing and intimidating any Southerner who opposes secession. Before that, NCP officials were angered by the statements issued recently by President Kiir and Vice President Riek of South Sudan about the inevitability of secession in South Sudan in 2011. NCP officials also accused the United States of supporting South Sudan’s secession in recent statements showing that USA supports the conduct of referendum on time. NCP regards U.S. position as amounting to interference in internal affairs of the country.

NCP’s strategies against CPA have not stopped in the above mentioned comments of their officials, yesterday the Sudanese Youth and Sports Minister Haj Magid Siwar was reported to have said that SPLM was never serious about the option of unity. What is interesting in his comment is that he is connecting irrelevant cases in the current stages of CPA to the recognition of the referendum results. “The SPLA did not implement but 26% of the security arrangements as opposed to the [Northern] army that implemented it at a 100%,” he said. Mr. Siwar added that the lack of the implementation of Security Arrangement by the SPLA is a threat to the referendum and a breach of the agreement (CPA).

There is something fishy about the above statement as SPLA Spokesman Lt. Gen. Kuol Deim Kuol recognized that the Minister, Mr. Siwar, is looking for a pretext of starting the fight against the South and are preparing to reoccupy it. Mr. Siwar shows the reason why NCP has been trying to tie SPLM to some legal issues that may convince the international community to side with NCP against SPLM and the people of South Sudan in the upcoming referenda.

The evidence supporting my statement above is this. Mr. Siwar was asked on what the NCP would do if Southerners did not allow open campaign and move their troops from the borders; he replied by saying that they will talk to the USA, the U.N., and the African Union to tell them that SPLM side didn’t fulfil the CPA. As a result, NCP may not recognise the referendum results. This is NCP’s strategy, but I think it is a cheap strategy that will not convince the international community against Southerners.

Security arrangement has nothing to do with the legitimacy of the referendum. What has a lot to do with the legitimacy of the referenda is border demarcation at this stage of CPA, but NCP is the one dragging its feet in the demarcation of the border. If at all SPLA is staying in a wrong side of the border (which is baseless), then the demarcation of the border must be done to show the legitimacy of the claims against SPLA.

Why would the international community fail to look into the lack of border demarcation first before talking about which army is on the wrong side? Is that not a cheap strategy for a return to war?

I think it would be wise for the NCP to follow the referendum law on allowing Southerners to freely choose what they want without interference from anybody so that we maintain peace between North and South Sudan if South Sudan becomes independent in January, 2011. Desperation will not help NCP trick Southerners and the international community into making wrong choices.

Zechariah Manyok Biar, BA. Edu., MACM, MSSW. He can be reached at [email protected]