Khartoum, rebels agree
2003-12-20 22:13
Nairobi - Representatives of Sudan's government and those of the main rebel group have reached an agreement on the sharing of oil wealth, paving the way for a comprehensive peace accord, Kenya's foreign minister Kalonzo Musyoka said on Saturday.
"I am getting information that they have agreed on wealth-sharing," Musyoka told AFP, commenting on the talks between Sudan's government and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) being held outside the Kenyan capital.
He said that he would travel Sunday to Naivasha, 80 kilometres northwest of Nairobi, for the expected signing of the agreement.
"There has been agreement on the wealth-sharing, but the principals are working on the final details," an SPLA delegate to the talks, who asked not to be named, told AFP.
The Islamic government in Khartoum and the rebels, based in the mainly traditional and Christian south, have been fighting a war since 1983 that has become increasingly driven by a stake in Sudan's natural resources, namely oil.
Sudan currently produces around 300 000 barrels of oil a day which accounts for 43% of government revenue, according to the energy and mines ministry.
The war has claimed at least 1.5 million lives and displaced four million others.
In September both sides reached a deal on transitional security, under which the government would withdraw its troops from the southern positions, paving way to the creation on integrated units.
Under an agreement signed in Kenya in July last year, the south will enjoy autonomy from Khartoum for six years, following which a referendum will be held to determine whether the south will secede or remain part of Sudan.
The six-year interim period will come into effect once a comprehensive peace agreement is signed.