Sudan Military troops redeployed

30 October 2007 – (Nairobi, Kenya) – All SPLA forces are south of the January 1st, 1956 border. This statement from the chairman of the Southern Sudan Peace Commission and the newly-appointed Minister of Humanitarian Affairs in the Government of National Unity, Mr. James Kok.

In an exclusive interview with Sudan Radio Service last week in Nairobi, Mr. Kok said that other than those attached to Joint Integrated Units, no SPLA soldier remains north of the 1956 border, in accordance with the CPA. Mr. Kok was responding to allegations leveled by National Congress Party Deputy Nafie Ali Nafie on October 11th that only 6% of SPLA soldiers had withdrawn from the north.

[James Kok]: “The SPLA soldiers have moved from all the areas that they are not supposed to be, and they were brought to the south of the 1956 border. And if you need witnesses, they can go and witness. And the SAF has withdrawn from some parts of the areas in the south but not all the areas. According to the CPA, they were supposed to be out since the 9th of January 2007. They are still in Unity state, Upper Nile state and Western Bahr el Ghazal state and this is against the CPA.”

He said that the SAF are concentrated in the oil-rich areas, where only Joint Integrated Units are supposed to operate.

Section three of the security arrangements protocol of the CPA says that other than those in the JIU’s, all SAF troops were to be redeployed north of the 1956 border and SPLA troops south of that border as of January 2007.

In other news, Mr. Kok denied rumors that the SPLM is behind the decision by some of Darfur’s anti-government groups not to attend the peace talks in Libya. He says the SPLM’s goal in the Darfur peace talks was to unite the anti-government groups so that they would all participate and speak with one voice, saying “a home that is divided cannot succeed.” He said that in the workshops with the anti-government groups in Juba, the SPLM encouraged the groups to attend the peace talks in Libya.

[James Kok]: “I have gone to France twice to persuade Abdul Wahid al-Nur to come and join his brothers so that they can agree with one voice to attend the peace talks and bring peace to Darfur. Then how can we at the same time tell them not to attend, unless it is the enemies of SPLA speaking like that?”

Abdul Wahid al-Nur is the leader of the largest Sudan Liberation Movement faction that has refused to attend the talks in Libya.

Mr. Kok added that although the SPLM has recalled its senior officials from the Government of National Unity, it is still “working hard” to see that there is peace in the whole of Sudan, including Darfur.

Census Updates

30 October 2007 – (Juba) – If people are not counted, the resources allocated to them by government may be too small. That warning from Government of Southern Sudan Vice President Riek Machar, speaking in Juba on Saturday during the publicity launch of the nationwide census to be conducted in February.

Speaking to a crowd, Dr. Machar said that the census is important because it will be the basis for all governments’ distribution of resources to Sudan’s regions and people.

[Dr. Machar]: “If we are not counted, the resources that the government allocates will be too small for us. We have different levels of government. There is the central government in Khartoum; it has resources it divides to the people of Sudan and they only do this by numbers. And if the Government of Southern Sudan wants to allocate resources, then it will be done with the consideration of numbers and even the state government will also do the same, based on the numbers of the people.”

Dr. Machar reminded people to be in Sudan by the night of February first to second in order to be eligible for counting in the census.

UNJLC NORTH-SOUTH CONVOY

UNJLC is planning to resume light vehicle convoys from Khartoum to Juba,
similar to the one from last June. The 1st convoy is tentatively scheduled
to leave on November 3, 2007 from Khartoum. It will be lead by Nicolas
Daher (UNJLC Senior Logistician) and will take approximately 6 to 7 days
depending on the convoy route and unexpected delays.

The maximum number of 10 vehicles (Land Cruisers, Patrols, Land Rovers,
etc.) allowed on each convoy is. We would like a equitable mix of UN and
INGO vehicles. No trucks or buses will be permitted during the convoy, not even 3TN light trucks.

The routing will be as follow:

- Day 1: Khartoum to El-Obeid
- Day 2: El-Obeid to Keilak via Dilling (perhaps staying in Abyei)
- Day 3: Keilak (Abyei) to Aweil via Meiram
- Day 4: Aweil to Wau
- Day 5: Wau to Rumbek
- Day 6: Rumbek to Juba via Mundri if river is low and light
vehicles are able to pass, if not - detour to Yei
- Day 7: Yei to Juba


If you are interested in sending a vehicle down to Juba from Khartoum then this is the best opportunity for you.

South Sudan Missed EAC

OIL-RICH South Sudan has requested to join the East African Community (EAC) as businesspersons from the block increasingly target booming trade in the semi-autonomous region.

However EAC turned down the request saying only South Sudan was not a sovereign State as it is part of the Sudan.

Uganda's State Minister for Trade Nelson Wambuzi Gagawala told journalists of the application by the Government of South Sudan (GOSS).

EAC, which brings together Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Rwanda, is among Africa's strongest regional groupings with a combined market of 120 million people.

"Southern Sudan has applied to join the EAC. In fact also Khartoum wants to join," Gagawala said on Friday.

A Ugandan senior official in charge of East Africa and Great Lakes Region affairs corroborated the minister's position.

He said: "They (GOSS) actually applied during the April 2007 summit.

However, the Heads of State advised South Sudan to apply when they are a sovereign state (in case they seceded after a referendum)," Kagamba said.

With a population of about 14 million people, South Sudan is seeking to secede from the Arab-north in a bid to consolidate black-Christian leadership.

The secession will be decided in the forthcoming referendum.

Uganda's Minister for Regional Cooperation, Isaac Musumba, had earlier voiced a similar position to the press. "We cannot deal with them since South Sudan is not yet a sovereign state.

It is still part of Sudan," Musumba said.

GOSS's interest in EAC comes at a time when thousands of East African traders are flocking the southern Sudan market that is reported to have extensive unexploited resources.

"I think they want to join the bloc because they mainly trade with East Africa.

I do not think there is any other reason. You know they fetch a biggest percentage of their goods through Mombassa.

Therefore they need to join the Community so that taxes are lifted," Kagamba said.

To join the EAC, a country must be a neighbour of the bloc, have a common market and have a democratically elected government.

According to Musumba, South Sudan has drafted an investment policy to enrich trade with its neighbours.

The investment plan is worth $32 million which they are yet to raise.

A number of traders especially Kenyans and Ugandans from around the region have asserted themselves on the South Sudan market especially in petty trade.

"Our greatest regional market is Southern Sudan. Our traders are sending more goods to southern Sudan, which is a food basket for the entire country.

Southern Sudan has immense potential. It has a huge land mass.

The land is so fertile and very beautiful. For any energetic people, it is the way to go," Gagawala said.

However, despite being an attractive market for East Africa, southern Sudan remains less accessible. Roads are in a pitiable state and there are few accommodation facilities, which are charged at exorbitant prices.

But Musumba, who about two weeks ago had led a Ugandan ministerial delegation to Southern Sudan on a bilateral mission, said they had agreed with GOSS leadership on joint transport routes including a railway line that will run from Juba through northern Uganda to Mombassa.

Gagawala, Uganda's Trade Minister also said GOSS intends to erect an oil pipeline to Uganda.

A few months ago the GOSS Minister for Regional Cooperation, Dr. Benjamin Barnaba Marial said that in future they would build a refinery at the border with Uganda and Kenya.