Talks to end decades of civil war in southern Sudan reach stalemate
KHARTOUM, July 10, 2004 (dpa) — The two parties involved in the Sudan peace talks to end 21 years of civil war between the Christian south and Moslem north have reached stalemate following a unilateral decision by Sudan to involve its southern militias in the deliberations.
The regional body of the Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) had sponsored talks between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) to discuss security arrangements during the interim period.
Sudan shall remain united during the interim period of 6.5 years and shall be ruled as a Confederation of two confederal states dividing the north and south during that time.
An SPLM/A negotiating member who spoke from Nairobi to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, dpa on condition of anonymity, has accused the government of deliberately violating the agreement on the military arrangements that both sides signed in January 2004.
The source said that Khartoum was insisting on the participation of the southern pro-government militias in the current talks, contrary to the protocol on the military arrangements that clearly identifies the SPLA as the only legitimate military body in the transitional time in south Sudan.
On Thursday the Sudan T.V. broadcasted Amin Hassan Omer, member of the government at the talks in Naivasha, Kenya as saying that there were difficulties in the peace talks, but he did not define the nature of these difficulties.
Also ten senior commanders from the pro-government southern militias headed by commander Major General Clement Wani, Deputy Chief of staff of South Sudan Defence Forces (SSDF) left Sudan for Kenya, to join the talks on security arrangements and modalities to the peace agreement in the interim period.
“We did not expect the government to take such a destructive step in the peace process,” the sources maintained.
Analysts, diplomats and concern parties here on the issue of war between southern and northern Sudan have expressed great concern over possible threats from the various southern pro-government militias to peace if marginalized.
The Sudanese government in 1997 established the SSDF to group more than 20 armed gangs in south Sudan following an agreement it signed with the South Sudan Independent Movement led by Riak Machar.