Peace and war in Sudan
Fighting has erupted in southern Sudan even as Sudanese peace talks resume in Kenya, writes Gamal Nkrumah
Ambassador Hassan Abdel-Baki
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After initial hesitation and a tense lull in regional upheaval, the Sudanese government sent an official delegation to Kenya to participate in peace talks between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) -- the country's largest armed opposition group. The Sudanese peace talks are taking place in the Nairobi suburb of Karen under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD), a regional organisation that groups seven East African countries, including Sudan.
Power-sharing and the distribution of Sudan's newfound oil wealth top the agenda of the Sudanese peace talks in Kenya, which are otherwise shrouded in mystery. "The current peace talks in Kenya between the Sudanese government and the SPLA are proceeding in an encouraging manner and the committees are discussing issues in a serious spirit," said Sudanese Foreign Minister Mustafa Othman Ismail.
"There is a consensus that dialogue and a continuation of the peace process is the only way to resolve the problem," Ambassador Hassan Abdel-Baki, Sudan's representative at the Arab League, told Al-Ahram Weekly. "Not only must hostilities be stopped, but the vicious media smear campaigns waged against the Sudanese government in the West must also stop," Abdel- Baki added.
The Cairo-based Sudanese diplomat praised efforts by Egypt and the Arab League to find a lasting solution to the Sudanese civil war and political crisis. He particularly welcomed the appointment by the Arab League secretary- general of a special envoy to Sudan -- Nadia Makram Ebeid, the former Egyptian minister of the environment.
Meanwhile, the United States spoke out against the latest upsurge in fighting in the oil-rich western Upper Nile region of southern Sudan. The sharing of Sudan's oil wealth is a main item of discussion on the agenda of Sudanese peace talks in Kenya. The Bush administration expressed "grave concern" at the recent flaring up of fighting in southern Sudan.
This week, Washington accused Khartoum of instigating the fighting and of preparing to wage war to protect installations in the oil-producing areas of southern Sudan. "We are particularly troubled by the military build-up," said US State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher. "We and the rest of the international community fear that this violation of the spirit and the letter of the October agreement will lead to continued fighting."
The Sudanese authorities have vehemently denied, however, that Khartoum broke the cease- fire agreement with the SPLA, stressing that they are exploring ways of ending the Sudanese political impasse with different political groups.
In the meantime, the Sudanese umbrella opposition organisation, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), dismissed reports of secret meetings between the Sudanese government and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) led by Mohamed Othman Al-Mirghani, who is also head of the NDA. The Cairo-based Al-Mirghani vigorously denied any secret dealings with the Sudanese government.
In a separate development, the Ugandan Minister of Defence Amama Mbabazi visited Khartoum this week to discuss the deteriorating security situation along the common border between the two East African countries. "Our forces attacked the LRA and overran their defence lines," Mbabazi said.
He disclosed that the LRA were building a runway. "We are interested to know why they were constructing an airport," he told reporters in the Ugandan capital Kampala before he left for Khartoum.
Sudan and Uganda signed an agreement in March last year that stipulates that Ugandan troops be allowed to chase members of the Ugandan armed opposition Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) across the border. In the past, the Sudanese authorities had militarily backed the LRA, much to the consternation of the Ugandans. According to the agreement between Sudan and Uganda, the two countries are to desist from supporting the armed opposition groups in their respective countries.
The LRA, which has been fighting the Ugandan government since 1988, wants to establish a Christian fundamentalist regime based on the biblical Ten Commandments in Uganda -- a country with a large Muslim minority of 25 per cent of the 22-million strong population.
The Ugandan army has conducted sweeping search and destroy raids in southern Sudan in accordance with the March 2002 agreement between Kampala and Khartoum. But the Sudanese authorities now seem to suspect the Ugandans of conniving with the SPLA. The Sudanese authorities have warned that if Uganda collaborates any further with the SPLA, it will revoke last year's agreement and provide military backing to the LRA.
Khartoum is especially alarmed by reports that Israel has sold Uganda arms and ammunition after a visit last month by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to Israel.
