Sudan's frail peace 'in jeopardy'
2007-10-23 08:50
Juba - Sudan's former southern rebels called on the United Nations on Monday to hold an emergency meeting to resolve the political standoff, which threatened the fragile peace deal in Africa's largest country.
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) withdrew from government this month in protest at the lack of implementation of the January 2005 north-south deal, which ended Africa's longest civil war.
Despite crisis talks at the highest level last week, no progress was made and the northern architect of the agreement, Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, on Sunday surprised the SPLM by publicly accusing them of stalling the deal.
SPLM Secretary-General Pagan Amum said: "We call on the United Nations to organise an urgent meeting in the security council to review the (agreement) and for the parties to report on the implementation.
"This is the way out - we want national, regional and international efforts to converge so that the deal is implemented."
Partners in peace 'reach stalemate'
The north-south war claimed two million lives and drove four million from their homes. Complicated by oil ethnicity, religion and ideology, it raged on and off for five decades.
But almost three years since the landmark deal, the partners in peace reached stalemate over issues including redeployment of northern troops from southern oil fields, the status of the oil-rich Abyei region and transparency in Sudan's oil sector, producing 500 000 barrels a day of crude.
A day after Taha criticised the southerners he negotiated the peace deal with SPLM chairperson and first Vice-President Salva Kiir flew dozens of journalists from Khartoum, Uganda and Kenya to Juba to hear him present a message to Khartoum and the Sudanese people.
Kiir said: "I call on President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and the leadership of his National Congress Party to exercise responsibility and wisdom in managing this crisis so that we ensure the building of peace and stability."
'We are positive'
He tried to reassure Sudan's people that there would be no return to war. But Amum said the SPLM would mobilise people to support peace if the NCP refused to implement the deal.
He said: "The most important step we will be taking is to mobilise the Sudanese people. The Sudanese people have got the capacity to force whomever does not want to respect peace out."
Last week, thousands of Sudanese demonstrated in southern towns to support the SPLM move.
Amum said Kiir handed Bashir a list of specific approaches to implement the outstanding elements of the deal and the SPLM were waiting for a reply ahead of renewed talks.
He said: "We are positive. The SPLM wants to remain on course on the core issues."
The international community had expressed concern at the crisis, which threatened to tear Sudan apart.