12 - 18 July 2001
Issue No.542
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 12 - 18 July 2001 Issue No.542 |
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Breaking the stalemate?
An Egyptian-Libyan peace initiative gains new ground in its attempt to resolve Sudan's 18-year-long civil war. Gamal Nkrumah andSoha Abdelaty find a ray of hope on the long road to a settlement
A political settlement to the conflict in Sudan appears closer than ever before. Both the Sudanese government and opposition forces welcomed an Egyptian-Libyan proposal for ending the Sudanese civil war and resolving the country's protracted political crisis. It is a bit premature, however, to tell just what kind of deal, if any, will eventually be struck between Khartoum and its opponents.
Egypt and Libya launched their joint initiative for peace in Sudan in May 1999, but the recent nine-point peace proposal, presented to both sides of the conflict late last month, is the first concrete action plan. The two countries, working in tandem with the Sudanese government and opposition, have shown that they have the tenacity to push for a break in the Sudanese logjam.
Consultations with the Sudanese government and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) -- the main umbrella group for the Sudanese opposition -- weathered significant reservations on both sides before all parties concerned finally agreed to back the Egyptian-Libyan proposal. The decision was applauded by Egypt, with Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher describing the consensus as "notable progress."
The Egyptian-Libyan initiative urges the Sudanese government and opposition to establish a committee to plan a national reconciliation conference. No precise dates were announced, but ongoing discussions with all the parties concerned should speed up the process. More tricky than a national reconciliation conference, however, are the proposal's recommendations for constitutional reform and the setting up of an interim government until free and fair elections are held.
The issue of national unity interim government, which would be comprised of all major political parties, constituted a major stumbling block for the Sudanese government, which found the concept of an integrated, multi-party government hard to swallow. Last Thursday, however, the Sudanese government put its weight behind the Egyptian-Libyan initiative, swallowing its reservations and accepting the nine-point proposal. Southern opposition groups were more concerned with accepting a proposal that does not clearly separate religion and the state, but finally conceded to pressure from the other parties.
The Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), the largest southern-based organisation and strongest armed opposition group in Sudan, voiced its "reservations" but also agreed to accept the proposal. The SPLA is keen on arranging a national reconciliation conference and it seems that the group is enthusiastic about reconciling differences and arriving at a settlement. But Reik Machar, leader of a splinter SPLA faction with a large ethnic Nuer following in the oil-producing region of Bahr Al- Ghazal, around Bentui, rejected the proposal.
Southern Sudanese opposition figures insist that state and religion must be separated, but the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), led by President Omar Al-Bashir, is reluctant to accept a complete separation of state and religion. United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Walter Kansteiner, who has contacted several key opposition figures, has also pressed for a constitutional separation of religion from the state. Critics claim that Khartoum is seeking to drive a wedge between the northern and southern opposition groups, yet observers believe that the Sudanese government's acceptance of the Egyptian-Libyan initiative indicates that after 18 years of violent civil war, Khartoum has become war weary.
NDA President Mohamed Osman Al-Mirghani said that after a week-long meeting in Cairo of the NDA to review the Egyptian- Libyan initiative, his organisation welcomes the efforts made by the Egyptian and Libyan authorities to end the conflict in Sudan. At a press conference in Cairo last week, Al-Mirghani said that the NDA particularly welcomed the proposal's call for freedom of expression and a guarantee to honour human rights. "It is in this context that we urge the Sudanese government to release all political prisoners," Al-Mirghani said.
In Cairo, Al-Mirghani stressed the importance of building a broader, more coherent drive for peace. The SPLA wants the Egyptian-Libyan peace proposal merged with the peace initiative of the Inter-governmental Authority for Development (IGAD), a regional grouping of East African nations in which Sudan is a member. "The Egyptian-Libyan initiative now has a paper that all sides have agreed upon. We would like to call on other initiatives to come together, so we can operate through one platform," Al-Mirghani said.
Stepping around the question of whether the Egyptian-Libyan initiative would be joined with that of IGAD, Egypt's Maher told reporters "The IGAD countries are exerting efforts, and we [Egypt and Libya] have our initiative. There are contacts between us, but it is clear today that the Egyptian-Libyan proposal is subject to consensus." This view is also shared by both sides of the conflict.
The Egyptian and Libyan governments are keen to uphold the territorial integrity and unity of Sudan. Egypt is particularly concerned about the question of self-determination for southern Sudan, which could ultimately lead to the break-up of Sudan into two separate political entities along north-south lines. In recent statements, Maher reiterated that Egypt is essentially interested in a united Sudan.
Opposition forces argue that the only way to preserve the unity of Sudan is for Khartoum to scrap the Islamic Shari'a laws in favour of secular laws and draft a new secular constitution. As a multi-religious country, it is not fair, the opposition insists, that non-Muslims be governed by Islamic law. The Sudanese government refuses to budge on this issue, however, and the question of Shari'a law has emerged as the main stumbling block to a resolution of the Sudanese political impasse.
The Egyptian-Libyan proposal does not incorporate the key SPLA demand for a referendum on self-determination for southern Sudan, but clearly states that "citizenship is the basis for exercising rights and duties." In the past, the SPLA accused the government of encouraging rival peace forums as a deliberate delaying tactic to stall a final settlement. Moreover, the SPLA wants any government of national unity to be an equal partnership between the ruling NCP and opposition forces.
The question which now poses itself is what should the next step be? It is up to Egyptian and Libyan mediators to speed up the process. "We are continuing contacts so we can bring together the sides that have accepted the [proposal], and although some of them have reservations, they have agreed to it. We have to agree with them and Libya on setting a date for the meeting," said Maher.
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