South Sudan President calls for deployment of UN troops at north-south border
October 8, 2010 (JUBA) – The President of the semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) has called for deployment of United Nations Peacekeeping Forces along the contested north-south border ahead of the referendum on independence of the region on 9 January 2011.
Armies from both sides have traded counter accusations of amassing troops at the border for any eventuality as the clock ticks to the vote that will determine the future of the country.
About 10,000 UN troops have already been deployed in Southern Sudan but currently scattered across many towns of the vast region.
The leadership in Southern Sudan doubts that the ruling northern National Congress Party (NCP) has the political will to allow for the timely, free, fair and transparent conduct of the plebiscite. The north-south border has not yet been demarcated.
While Southern Sudan’s leadership sees no direct connection between demarcation of the borders and the conduct of the referendum, the NCP has been sending mixed reactions with some voices ruling out the exercise without the borders being demarcated.
Kiir warned that the semi-autonomous region might conduct its own referendum should the North attempt to hinder the exercise. The Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC), charged with the responsibility to process the technical aspect of the exercise is, in accordance with the 2005 peace deal, based in the national capital, Khartoum. It’s branch office, the Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau (SSRB), was last year the NCP and SPLM agreed this would be established in Juba.
During the appointment of the commission’s chair and secretary general, and after a long time of stalemate with the NCP over the issue, the SPLM conceded to NCP both the posts of the commission’s chair as well as its Secretary General, who are based in the Commission’s headquarters in Khartoum, while it managed to take the deputy positions to the chair and another deputy to the secretary general, who are based in the branch office, the bureau, in Juba.
The deputy chief justice in the southern Sudan Judiciary, Justice Chan Reec Madut, was appointed the deputy chairman of the commission in Khartoum and head of the bureau in Juba. Stephen Abraham Gatlok, also became the deputy secretary general – based in Juba.
In February President Kiir issued a presidential decree establishing the Southern Sudan 2011 Referendum Taskforce and chaired by his deputy, Riek Machar Teny. The body is charged with the responsibility of overseeing the conduct of the referendum and preparing the ground for the conduct of the referendum, negotiating the post-referendum issues as well as preparing the Government of Southern Sudan for a post-2011 governance in the region.
The leadership has ruled out the possibility of unilateral declaration of independence (UDI), unless forced to do so as the last resort. Kiir reaffirmed that UDI was not an option but the South would conduct its own referendum using the established referendum body in the South without the north if the NCP obstructs its timely, free, fair and transparent conduct. This would be done in the presence of the international community, the UN, and may only invite the north to play the role of an observer.
The long awaited self-determination referendum in South Sudan is widely expected to result in the creation of the world’s newest state. The referendum was agreed in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between the SPLM and the National Congress Party (NCP) governing the north.
Preparations for the plebiscite are well behind schedule. The voter registration process is scheduled to begin on 14th November and last until 4th December.
“He [Kiir] set out quite a powerful case for why the referendum had to go ahead on time and the fact that he felt [the] referendum would end up [with] a vote for separation,” Britain’s UNSC ambassador Mark Lyall Grant was quoted by Reuters, describing what Kiir had told envoys during a meeting in the southern capital Juba on Wednesday.
“He was not going to declare UDI (a unilateral declaration of independence). But if there is a delay, a politically induced delay by the NCP for the referendum, then it might be necessary for the south to hold their own referendum,” he added.
Kiir who is also Sudan’s First Vice President of Sudan has in recent days stepped up his rhetoric saying that he will personally choose secession over unity, something the NCP says is a violation of the CPA which calls on both sides to make unity an attractive option.
Senior NCP official Rabie Abdulatti told Reuters Kiir’s words were unacceptable and said Khartoum would not accept the result of an independence vote organised by the south on its own.
“Nobody would recognize it. This is against CPA. Everything about its implementation should be agreed by the two partners.”
Earlier, NCP senior officials vowed to defeat separatists within the ruling SPLM in the south and work to stop the south seceding through the law governing the exercise. However, the tendency towards separation is thought to be the overwhelming political and public opinion in the region.
The leadership in the South has also identified a number of internal threats to the conduct of the referendum, particularly the issue of the Other Armed Groups (OAGs) and recently rebelled senior army officers.
The Southern Sudan President this week issued an Executive Order, pardoning all the OAGs, including senior army officers and men who rebelled or fought against the SPLA forces before and after the April’s elections. They are pardoned from all crimes and free from any prosecution for the crimes they made and were urged to rejoin the SPLA with their ranks.
The move also came one day after the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) kicked off preparatory meetings with all the Southern Sudan political parties for the purpose of reaching a consensus on the referendum and post-referendum era.
On Tuesday and Wednesday the Vice President and the Deputy Chairperson of the SPLM, Riek Machar, chaired meetings with 17 southern political parties to discuss the way forward and prepare for next week’s conference.
Southern Sudan is due to vote early next year on whether it wants to remain united with the north under the current system or to become an independent nation.
(ST)
Grader
Kiir: the driver of reverseless car
Kiir is the man for the job!
Thank you Alan ci Digir!
Thank you Nyakapolony!
Ok aa Buoc
Mzalendo Mwema
South Sudan President calls for deployment of UN troops at north-south border
H.E Salva Kiir,
All southerners are behind you and your leadership.You are the only light which will guide us to the ‘promised land’.We are supporting this statement His Excellency that” Urging UNSC to deploy troops at border separating the south from the north”
We are peace loving people and what we are after is long lasting peace to the regional and international zones as the war affects the globe.
Mzalendo Mwema
South Sudan President calls for deployment of UN troops at north-south border
H.E Salva Kiir,
All southerners are behind you and your leadership.You are the only light which will guide us to the ‘promised land’.We are supporting this statement His Excellency that” Urging UNSC to deploy troops at border separating the south from the north”
We are peace loving people and what we are after is long lasting peace to the regional and international zones as the war affects the globe.
Gatwech
South Sudan President calls for deployment of UN troops at north-south border
Dear readers,
Long live the vision of self-determination!
NCP was underestimating the strategic minds in the South when it thought to politically defeat separatists within the SPLM.
Ahahahahahahhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…………………………
The whole SPLM is now a converted separatist movement with the exception of some few from the northern sector.
Unless the NCP just resorts to force of arms, which will also backfire on its criminal records, it will never succeed to defeat the overwhelming separatism in the South.
We are all in one boat of separation and form our own independence by 9th January 2011!. The masses of the South are for separation and so where will the NCP get the support from the people?
Those of Dr. Lual Achuek (the oil minister in Khartoum) are becoming lone southern hyenas without support from the people in South Sudan.
Yes, the UN should deploy troops at the border to avoid violence resulting from NCP’s panics.
I thank the SPLM leadership for the wise strategy to give the NCP the benefit of the doubt in the eyes of the international community by conceding to them the positions of the chairman and secretary general of the commission in Khartoum.
With the strategic wisdom, the SPLM took the deputies and base them in the South’s commission bureau in Juba which they agreed last year.
Now this bureau in the south which is headed by a southerner and the secretary general also a southerner will conduct the referendum without the north. The north like other international community may come as observers.
This is not a violation of the CPA on the side of the SPLM but a response to an act of violation by the NCP. The CPA doesn’t allow the NCP to politically obstruct the conduct of the referendum.
Let the NCP be assured that obstructing the conduct of the referendum will not work. They thought they would fail it by law, but through the same law they passed in parliament last year which created the bureau and gave deputies to SPLM, has also made it possible for the deputies based in Juba to conduct the referendum.
What a strategy!
Bravo Gen. Salva Kiir!
Bravo Dr. Riek Machar!
Bravo Hon. James Wani
South Sudan (Wec Deang) independence oyeee!
DASODIKO
South Sudan President calls for deployment of UN troops at north-south border
Well done Kiir! thump up man.
telfajbago
South Sudan President calls for deployment of UN troops at north-south border
What is urgently needed is UN troops to act as a buffer zone in South Sudan as well as forces to stop the ongoing genocide in Darfur. The UNSC has to act now before it’s late as the genocide regime in Khartoum put its all plans in action to take the Country back to square one.
Biliu
South Sudan President calls for deployment of UN troops at north-south border
Well..NCP think they are smart enough to hinder the referendum process one way or other, but SPLM is aint stupid to fall a prey to their devilish tactics, they think that by making a politically induced delay,the SPLM will get frustrated and declare an unilateral separation from its parliament, an even they would use as a pretext for waging a war on the South….no…we are not going to used that unless we are sure that all means for the referendum conduct are blocked..Even after that…SPLM will referred the case to the International Community before making such a huge step, for now, let the SPLM work for a timely conduct and a worldwide observed referendum… we would welcome an international troops deployment no the 1956s borders….we can do it and we will do it wither NCP like it or not, as long as it’s transparent and reflecting the free well of the Southerners, the born of our new nation will be declared at the UN headquarters not in the South Sudan parliament as the NCP wishing!!!!!
Separation oyeeeeeeeeeeeeee
South Sudan Independence oyeeeeeeeeeee
Butrus Ajak.
South Sudan President calls for deployment of UN troops at north-south border
Obama and Biden slow diplomacy toward Southerners is just ugly enough. Thanks to Susan Rice for being outspoken about how Sudanese African are treated by Arabs all her time in USA government. Those of Obama should stay away and shouldn’t interfere with South destiny this time.
Susan, Southern Sudanese are all happy with your work keeps it going ma’am.
Butrus