Night Watch John McCreary Night of 31 May 2011 *** Sudan: Northern and Southern Sudan have agreed to a demilitarized zone (DMZ) along their shared border, according to the African Union. The north and south will form a joint committee headed by each country's respective military chief of staff, defense minister, intelligence and police chief and other officials. The DMZ will be jointly monitored and patrolled, according to the African Union.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia volunteered to deploy several thousand troops to the disputed Abyei area in Sudan if north Sudan's army withdraws, Western officials from the Southern Sudanese capital of Juba said. A quick response is needed and the Ethiopian troops will remain until a permanent solution can be reached, the officials said. Sudanese government spokesman Rabie Abdel Ati said many things are under discussion but nothing has been decided. However, a Western official close to the matter said both sides have privately agreed to the Ethiopian proposal, and Southern Sudanese army spokesman Philip Aguer said Southern Sudan's army will welcome Ethiopians as any part of the U.N. mission in Sudan. *** Comment: The good news is that north and south Sudan are exploring options for avoiding combat in the border states. Nevertheless, the jointly patrolled DMZ creates another inherently unstable war zone. It would not make conflict inevitable, but it would guarantee constant tension and commitment of resources that have better alternative uses. The Ethiopian proposal would favor the southern Sudanese, most of whom are not Muslims. The Muslim northerners will reject it. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "JFD info" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/jfdinfo?hl=en.
