Southern Sudan
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Since the early 1990s there have been a number of unsuccessful attempts to
find a peaceful resolution to the civil war in Southern Sudan.
News:
International Development Secretary pledges £50 million for Darfur Crisis and
Sudan peace
However, in 2002 war-weariness and international pressure finally bought the
Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) to
the negotiating table. The peace talks, held under the auspices of the
Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Kenya, culminated in the
signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on 9 January 2005.
The CPA was a huge achievement, which ended more than 20 years of civil war
in which more than 2 million people died and some 4 million were displaced. This
agreement covered the key issues of self-determination for the South and
separation between State and religion. It established a permanent ceasefire and
set out plans for the disengagement of forces. The parties also agreed on the
structure of government, including arrangements for power and wealth sharing as
well as human rights. The agreement included protocols covering governance of
three conflict areas outside the “historic south” that delineated from the
period of British/Egyptian rule - Abyei, the Nuba Mountains (Southern Kordofan)
and Blue Nile. The agreement also made provisions for national elections in 2009
and referendum for determining the status of the South in 2011.
The two sides established a Government of National Unity (GNU). The
Presidency of the GNU, comprising of President Field Marshall Bashir, First Vice
President Garang (leader of the SPLM/A) and Vice President Taha, was sworn in on
9 July 2005. The National Assembly met on 1 September 2005 and the formation of
the GNU was announced on 20 September 2005. The GNU includes Ministers from the
National Congress Party (NCP), the SPLM, the National Democratic Association (NDA)
primarily the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP),Umma Party Reform and Renewal (UP
R&R), the Umma Party Collective Leadership (UP CL), Democratic Unionist Party
(Registered - DUP-R), United Sudanese African Parties (USAP), the United
Democratic Salvation Front (UDSF), South Sudan Democratic Forum, and Ansar al-Sunnah.
The CPA provided for a devolved Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS).
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Dr John Garang, the original head and lead negotiator for the SPLM/A, was
killed in a helicopter accident in Southern Sudan on 30 July 2005 shortly after
the CPA’s signing. Though there were rumours of sabotage, an international
commission of enquiry found no wrongdoing. Garang was succeeded by Lt. Gen.
Salva Kiir Mayardit, as First Vice President and President of the GoSS and
President of the SPLM.
The GNU functioned until October 2007 when Kiir announced the suspension of
GoSS from the GNU, citing several CPA provisions that had not been implemented
on schedule. Both sides remain in dialogue to resolve the political impasse and
have re-affirmed their commitment to the full implementation of the CPA. In
spite of the political difficulties, there has not been a return to armed
conflict between the North and South.
Despite the CPA, peace in southern Sudan remains fragile. The timetable for
implementation of the CPA is beginning to slip. Northern troops have not
withdrawn from all parts of the South as envisaged in the CPA, and troops loyal
to the Khartoum government remain around some of the economically important oil
fields. Preparations for a new census, an important pre-requisite for successful
elections, are also behind. While the CPA’s security arrangements are making
progress in parts of the South, the presence of other armed groups such as the
Lord’s Resistance Army remains a threat to maintaining peace.
Some of the CPA measures are on schedule. Following the second anniversary of
the signing of the CPA, a new national currency, the Sudanese pound, was
launched to replace the dinar.
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UK efforts in Support of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement (CPA)
A joint FCO-DFID Sudan Unit has been in operation since early 2002, reporting
directly to both the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for
International Development. The Sudan Unit and the British Embassy in Khartoum
played a leading role supporting both the parties and the mediators at the peace
talks in Kenya. The UK is pressing both sides to ensure that they abide by their
commitments and implement and uphold the provisions of the CPA. This is done
through the Assessment and Evaluation Commission, tasked with monitoring CPA
implementation, and the development partnership with the Government of Sudan,
and the GoSS.
The UK record is strong: it disbursed some £110 million of humanitarian and
development assistance to southern Sudan since the Oslo conference in April
2005, where the UK pledged £317 million in aid to Sudan over three years
(2005-2007). To date we have spent £290 million in the whole country and stand
to exceed this pledge. This includes £47 million, which is channelled through
the Multi-Donor Trust Fund over three years (2005-2007) and split evenly between
North and South Sudan.
In 2007/08, the UK has committed £114 million in assistance to Sudan. This
includes £6.5m for Chad.
But faster progress on CPA implementation and a significant improvement to
the situation in Darfur is a requirement for continued UK support. UK policy
remains centred on the search for peace throughout Sudan including in Darfur.
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