Sudan in search of funds to rebuild southern part of the country

ABUJA, July 16, 2003 (dpa) — The Sudanese government plans to mobilize funds for the rebuilding of the war-torn southern part of the country, Sudanese Second Vice President Moses Machar announced in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Wednesday.

Machar, who led his country’s delegation to the 6th Leon Sullivan summit ending in Abuja Wednesday, said about two million lives had been lost in Sudan since rebels of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army began their fight for self-determination.

Machar said rehabilitation work had actually started even as government was awaiting contributions.

“As the gateway to the Arab world, we are looking forward to receiving contributions from fellow African brother-countries,” the Prime Minister stressed.

He expressed optimism that peace would soon return to Sudan in spite of the government’s misgivings about secularizing Khartoum, as demanded by the rebels.

“The government is objecting to this demand because apart from being the country’s capital, Khartoum is also the capital of northern Sudan which is predominantly Moslem,” the Prime Minister said.

Jumba, the capital of the mainly animist and Christian south, should be secularized, said Machar, adding that Khartoum was outside the 2002 Machakos agreement that paved the way for the cease-fire agreement.

Machar said the Sudanese government was also objecting to a demand by rebels to have their own army.

He noted that a major breakthrough was achieved last July between government and rebels with respect to the main issues regarding power and wealth sharing and security.

Commending Nigeria for hosting several peace negotiations between Sudanese rebels and the government, Machar said his government was seeking amendments to some of the rebels demands, and negotiations would start on July 23.