Sudan’s Abyei crisis: Deal or no deal? Article Comments (21) Email PrintSave --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 13, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese government appeared to downplay earlier reports that a deal was reached on withdrawing its forces from Abyei during the high level talks taking place in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton shares a laugh with Sudanese first Vice President of Southern Sudan Salva Kiir in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, June 13, 2011 (AP) On Sunday unnamed diplomats told Reuters that president Omer Hassan al-Bashir agreed to pull out the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) from the contested region before the South’s official independence on July 9th. Following that two battalions from Ethiopia would be deployed to the oil-rich district to fill the vacuum left by SAF’s withdrawal. Bashir and his First Vice President Salva Kiir who is also South Sudan president flew to Addis Ababa over the weekend for talks on Abyei hosted by the Ethiopian PM Meles Zenawi and former South African president Thabo Mbeki who is heading an African Union (AU) panel mediating in Sudan. Sudan official news agency (SUNA) quoted Sayid Ahmed al-Khateeb who is the spokesperson of the northern delegation as saying that the proposal presented by the mediators states that SAF would "redeploy" in Abyei but the Sudan People Liberation Army (SPLA) would withdraw below 01/01/1956 borders. Ethiopian troops would be dispatched after that. Al-Khateeb stressed that such an agreement can only be changed in the future with the approval of the Sudan government, SPLM and Ethiopia. He added that the AU proposal calls for the establishment of a "civil administration" that has no mandate with regards to security but is strictly tasked with "providing services". The Northern army retaliated to an ambush blamed on Southern soldiers belonging to the SPLA and on May 21st SAF moved in to take full control of Abyei. Bashir also unilaterally dissolved the area’s administration without consulting with Kiir. Despite international pressure, the Sudanese leader vowed never to withdraw declaring that Abyei belongs to the north. Other officials qualified the statement saying that no pullout would be made without reaching new security arrangements and agreeing on conducting the long-delayed referendum. The people of Abyei were supposed to decide last January whether they want to be part of the north or join the new state in the south. But the plebiscite was put off over disagreements on which communities will count as Abyei residents with the right to vote. Its land is used by Dinka Ngok tribe, associated with the south, and Arab Misseriya nomads who drive livestock through the area. The Abyei seizure by the North was followed by a military escalation in South Kordofan between SAF and SPLA which led to unspecified number of deaths and displacement of as many as 75,000 according to the United Nations. The Sudanese official speaking from Addis Ababa cautioned that certain changes would need to be introduced to the AU proposed text before Khartoum can sign off on it. Al-Khateeb said the amendments pertain to the Abyei administration council and its duties adding that the mandate of Ethiopian troops can be changed only with endorsement from the three sides. He added that the new force would be run by Mbeki’s panel and a joint North-South committee would be receiving regular reports from the Ethiopian contingency. The Northern official said the two sides would continue negotiating the new arrangements adding that he expects the SPLM to push for its own changes. The two-day talks were reported by SUNA to have concluded today but sources say that they have remained in session. The New York Times quoted a U.S. diplomat as saying that Bashir’s withdrawal offer was heavily conditioned and no final agreement was announced. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has arrived in Addis Ababa today and met with Southern leader Kiir and Bashir’s assistant Nafie Ali Nafie. Washington has barred its diplomats from meeting with Bashir who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes and genocide in Darfur. Clinton, speaking before her arrival in Addis Ababa during a stop in Tanzania, said the United States supported a proposal to put Ethiopian peacekeepers in Abyei and called on Khartoum to withdraw its troops from the area. At the African Union, she repeated her call for both sides to redouble their efforts to resolve the situation "peacefully through negotiations, not violence." (ST) -- 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.
