International consultative meetings on Sudan held at AU HQ in Ethiopia's Addis Ababa: NCP and SPLM partnership important to Sudan's future

Sudanese delegation in Addis Ababa: NCP and SPLM partnership important to Sudan's future
From Radio Miraya - Sunday, 09 May 2010 21:45:

The consultative meeting on Sudan held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, ended on Sunday with the Sudanese delegation affirming that a diplomatic partnership between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the National Congress Party (NCP) is critical for Sudan when faced with future challenges. The Sudanese delegation headed by Minster of Youth Culture and Sports, Amin Hassan Omer, made the statement as the close of the meetings.

He expressed confidence that that both parties will succeed in the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) based on mutual trust.

The meeting also stressed the need to reach a political settlement for the Darfur issue before the 2011 referendum takes place. The meeting concluded with a reiteration of a comprehensive peace process towards restoring peace in Darfur, taking into account the recommendations of the Council of Wise Men and building on the progress made in Doha.

Related reports and updates

Addis Ababa Consultative Meeting on Sudan Wraps Up, Trusts NCP/SPLM Cooperation
From Sudan Vision Daily - Monday, 10 May 2010:

(Addis Ababa-SUNA) - The international two-day consultative meeting on Sudan present and future political developments held at the African Union Head Quarter in the Ethiopian Capital, Addis Ababa was over yesterday. Sudan delegation to the meeting was chaired by the State Minister of Culture and Youth, Dr. Amin Hassan Omer.

The meeting initiated by the African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping; AU, IGAD, UN, EU, AL, OIC, representatives of the UNSC permanent member states, UNMIS and UNAMID Chiefs, AU-UN Joint Chief Mediator, Qatar, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Finland, AUPSC President for the Month- Burundi, AU President for the month-Malawi and the Evaluation and Assessment Commission participated in the meeting .

The issued communiqué’ stated that the meeting had reviewed the situations in Sudan on the heels of last April elections within the framework of progress on the CPA implementation and Darfur peace process.

The communiqué’ stressed that the partnership between the NCP and SPLM was crucial for Sudan leadership’ struggle against future challenges, expressing confidence in the two partners’ ability to fulfill the CPA implementation given their mutual trust. The communiqué stated that the participants in the meeting pledged to support the efforts of the UNAMID, AU-UN Joint Chief mediator and the Qatari mediation in respect of peace in Sudan.

According to the final statement, the meeting underscored the recent national elections had established new facts in Sudan as new legitimate representatives had been elected all levels. Those representatives would be expected to contribute to the peace building process.

The statement further added that the consultative meeting had expressed intension to support the UN and AU resolution to convene a meeting for the High Executive Group of the AU, Joint Mediation and UNAMID for consultation with Sudan Government on Darfur peace process in the light of the breakthroughs the elections had allowed.

Moreover, the meeting emphasized the importance of reaching a peaceful and comprehensive settlement of Darfur issue ahead of the referendum set for January 2011, while taking into account the recommendations of the AU Panel on Darfur, as well as the achievements of Doha forum.

The AU / UN / Government of the Sudan Tripartite Mechanism
From United Nations – African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) /APO
Monday, 10 May 2010:

(ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia) - Today, 10 May 2010, officials from the African Union (AU), United Nations (UN), and the Sudanese Government will convene in Addis Ababa for the eighth meeting of the Tripartite Mechanism on UNAMID.

Background
Following consultations between the three parties on the fringes of the AU Summit on July 2008 in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, the Tripartite Mechanism was established with the aim of expediting UNAMID’s deployment and promoting a constructive relationship with the Sudanese government. Since then, the Tripartite meetings have offered an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between the three parties for the benefit of the people of Darfur.

Outcomes of previous meetings
The first meeting, held on 7 October 2008 in Khartoum, reviewed and outlined practical solutions to challenges faced in the deployment of UNAMID, the largest and most complex peacekeeping operation ever attempted by the UN or the AU.

By the third meeting, on 16 November 2008, the Mission had reached 60% troop deployment, and a memorandum of understanding on air operations was signed which enabled UNAMID to make more effective use of Sudanese airport infrastructure. The Sudanese government also began providing police protection to the Mission’s facilities in El Fasher, Nyala and El Geneina.

At the fifth meeting of the Tripartite mechanism, which followed the expulsion of several international NGOs, it was agreed that UNAMID would assume custody of their assets until a final solution could be reached between the Government and the INGOs.

UNAMID representatives
The Mission will be represented by Joint Special Representative (JSR) Ibrahim Gambari, Deputy JSR of Operations and Management Mohammed Yonis and the heads of UNAMID’s substantive sections.

Agenda
With the Mission now at 87% deployment, the focus of this summit will be on the protection of UNAMID personnel and the implementation of its mandate. Also among the issues to be discussed will be the provision of a radio broadcasting licence for the Mission in Darfur

Sudan activists - UNAMID receives US Envoy Gration in Darfur - Sudan's delegation at AU HQ meeting on Sudan
Sudan Watch - Saturday, 08 May 2010

SPLM alleges NCP plot to arm southerner militias - UN urged to check 'security violations' in south Sudan

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) has demanded an investigation into an alleged plot by the National Congress Party (NCP) to arm militias in the south aimed at disrupting the work of the North-South Border Demarcation Committee and obstructing South Sudan's self determination process.

Addressing the press in Khartoum on Sunday (9 May), SPLM Deputy Secretary General-northern sector, Yasir Arman said the NCP is hindering the south secession process "through technical ways".

The SPLM has requested that the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) launch the inquiry, calling on UNMIS to exercise its rights within its mandate.

Meanwhile, Head of the Technical Committee for North-South Border Demarcation, Abdulla Al Sadiq, has said that the committee will complete its work by November 2010. Sadiq stated that by then, borders will be demarcated from Central Africa to Ethiopia.

Al Sadiq told Radio Miraya that the final report of the Technical Committee will be raised to the presidency for approval ahead of the Southern Sudan referendum process in November.

Source: Radio Miraya, Sunday, 09 May 2010 - see copy below.

U.N. must verify north-south Sudan clashes: SPLM
From Reuters (Khartoum) by Opheera McDoom
Saturday, 08 May 2010 4:01pm EDT:

U.N. peacekeepers should be more active in monitoring violence in Sudan's south ahead of a key referendum in independence in eight months time, the oil- producing region's main party said on Saturday.

Senior Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) official Yasir Arman also said they had evidence President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's ruling northern National Congress Party was trying to destabilize the south by arming proxy militias in the semi- autonomous region.

"The United Nations should verify and should be present in all the places where there are violations of the security arrangements," Arman told reporters. "This is the mandate of the United Nations force here -- they should take this mandate... seriously."

The peacekeeping mission was deployed to monitor a 2005 north-south peace deal ending Africa's longest running civil war which claimed 2 million lives. A shaky ceasefire has mostly held with sporadic fighting kept in check through a high-level joint defense body between the former foes.

But last month clashes between the south's separate army (SPLA) and Darfuri Arab tribes along the disputed north-south border inflicted heavy casualties on both sides. And the SPLA accused a senior renegade commander of attacking an army base killing at least eight soldiers in Jonglei state last week.

The U.N. mission has not commented on the violence and a spokesman was not immediately available to comment on Saturday.

Arman said the NCP was using the Arab tribes to destabilize the south and delay the referendum.

"The government of south Sudan produced information that the NCP...are trying to destabilize the ..security in south Sudan," Arman said in a news conference in Khartoum.

He added SPLA renegade George Athor was receiving logistical support from outside the south, but did not specify from where.

Bashir's National Congress Party was not available to comment. During the civil war, Khartoum supported militias to oppose the SPLA, but the party denies this policy since 2005.

Most analysts believe the south is likely to secede in the January 9, 2011 plebiscite and fear a heavily armed population, ethnic rivalries and unresolved border disputes could destabilize any new nation and its neighbors, most of whom were dragged into Sudan's civil war.

Arman urged the NCP to reinvigorate a joint defense body to calm any north-south clashes and to allow the United Nations access to tense border areas.

"The United Nations, in particular the Security Council, should put an eye on Sudan and make sure that the security arrangements do not collapse," Arman said.

Sudan's north-south war has raged on and off since 1955, fueled by issues of ethnicity, ideology, religion and oil.

(Reporting by Opheera McDoom)

UN urged to check 'security violations' in south Sudan
From AFP (Khartoum) - Saturday, 08 May 2010:

A former rebel group on Saturday urged the United Nations to verify its charge that the government is arming militias and tribesmen ahead of next year's independence referendum for south Sudan.

"The United Nations should verify and should be present all over the place where there are violations of the security arrangement," Yasser Arman of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) told reporters in Khartoum.

"This is the mandate of the United Nations forces here: they should take this mandate, we call upon them to take this mandate seriously and to verify all accusations from different sides."

"Verification is very important and is not happening," added Arman, whose name appeared on ballot papers in last month's presidential election, despite the fact he withdrew from the race ahead of polling day.

President Omar al-Beshir was returned to power in the election.

Clashes two weeks ago between Arabs of the Rizeygat tribe and southern military forces on the border between war-torn Darfur in west Sudan and south Sudan resulted in the deaths of 55 people.

Earlier, there was fighting between Misseriya Arab tribesmen and southern forces.

In both instances, southern forces accused the central government in Khartoum of arming tribes in a bid to destabilise the vast semi-autonomous south, where an independence referendum is due next January.

"We think there is a big game to destabilise the south from within and from without. From within through militias and other connections and from without in the name of certain tribes," Arman said on Saturday.

Sudan currently hosts two international peacekeeping forces.

The 10,000-strong United Nation's peacekeeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS) monitors the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the 22-year north-south civil war in 2005.

UNAMID is a joint United Nations and African Union force deployed in Darfur.

Peacekeepers in Sudan need Sudanese army permission to enter certain areas in the north and authorisation from the southern forces for the south, but sometimes such requests are denied.

SPLM alleges NCP plot to arm southerner militias
From MirayaFM - Sunday, 09 May 2010 19:40:

The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) has demanded an investigation into an alleged plot by the National Congress Party (NCP) to arm militias in the south aimed at disrupting the work of the North-South Border Demarcation Committee and obstructing South Sudan's self determination process.

Addressing the press in Khartoum on Sunday, SPLM Deputy Secretary General-northern sector, Yasir Arman (photo, left), said the NCP is hindering the south secession process "through technical ways".

The SPLM has requested that the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) launch the inquiry, calling on UNMIS to exercise its rights within its mandate.

Yasir stressed that the vision of both the SPLM in the north and south is that of a new Sudan and called all southerners voluntary unity.

Meanwhile, Head of the Technical Committee for North-South Border Demarcation, Abdulla Al Sadiq, has said that the committee will complete its work by November 2010. Sadiq stated that by then, borders will be demarcated from Central Africa to Ethiopia.

The Technical Head added that the committee's work have not been disrupted by the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) or Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), saying that both armies are only concerned about security issues.

Al Sadiq told Radio Miraya that the final report of the Technical Committee will be raised to the presidency for approval ahead of the Southern Sudan referendum process in November.

Meanwhile, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) has accused the National Congress Party (NCP) of arming militias in the south to impede the work of the North-South Border Demarcation Committee and also to obstruct Southern Sudan's self-determination process.

Addressing the press in Khartoum on Saturday, the SPLM Deputy Secretary General in northern sector, Yasir Arman, called on all parties to accept the outcome of the referendum results.

The Technical Committee on the Demarcation of 1956 Boundaries between Northern and Southern Sudan, had earlier announced the conclusion of the demarcation process in the Eastern Sector, which comprises of White and Blue Nile, Sennar, and Upper Nile States.

Click and listen to SPLM Deputy Secretary General -northern sector, Yasir Arman

Click and listen to Head of North-South Border Demarcation, Abdulla al Sadiq

Further reading

Editor of Sudanese newspaper Ajras AlHuriya charged with publishing false news
Radio Miraya - 09 May 2010
The Editor of Ajras AlHuriya newspaper, Alhaj Warraq was charged on Sunday with publishing false news and undermining the dignity of the state, an offence punishable by up to six months in jail. Faiz al-Silaik, Acting Editor-in-Chief of Ajras AlHuriya, a newspaper alleged to be affiliated to Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), said he considers the charge an attack on press freedom. [...]

SPLM calls for new alliance to support South Sudan referendum
Sudan Tribune - 09 May 2010
May 8, 2010 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) today called for the formation of a new political alliance to establish the New Sudan and to support southern Sudan right of self-determination. [...]

Sudan resumes demarcation of north-South border
Sudan Tribune - 29 April 2010
April 28, 2010 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese authorities have started the penultimate stage of North- South boundary demarcation, ahead of the expected referendum on southern Sudan self-determination. [...]

Abyei one year after the Roadmap
Radio Miraya - 09 June 2009

S. Sudan: SPLA denies killing NCP members in Raja County - 'Sloppy reporting has fueled misperceptions of election-related killings'

Noteworthy Quote - re media standards

"I urge all the news media, election observers and agents, and political parties to be responsible in their reporting of incidents. They should confirm the facts of such incidents before making allegations that cannot be substantiated or supported with credible evidence, and those failing to do so should be held accountable."
- Cde. Dr. Anne Itto, SPLM Southern Sector deputy secretary general, Thursday 15 April 2010

Source: See report here below.
- - -

Sudan Watch Editor's Note: On Thursday 15 April 2010, while scrolling through a website called i On SUDAN, I noticed a report (marked as 'unverified') relating to some news reports (listed here below) which I held back from chronicling here at Sudan Watch until the picture became more clear. Here is a copy of the report (red highlighting is mine) followed by my collection of related reports, for future reference and studying at a later date.

Copy of report published at website i On SUDAN:
Sloppy reporting has fueled misperceptions of election-related killings
Location: Juba, Sudan
Date: 15 April 2010 01:45
Report description:

SPLM Headquarters: Southern Sector Deputy Secretary General responds to inaccurate media reports of SPLM-linked election violence

JUBA (15 Apr) – On Thursday, Cde. Dr. Anne Itto, SPLM Southern Sector deputy secretary general, released the following statement after several media reports have incorrectly reported claims from opposition party leaders that their members were killed at the hands of security and/or military personnel at the direction of or in allegiance to SPLM.

"On April 15th, several news sources, including a reputable international wire service - Reuters - reported that nine (9) people were killed in W. Bahr el Ghazal state. After consulting with security officials and other prominent members of the state government, I was able to confirm that five (5) people were in fact killed in Timsah payam of Raja county. An SPLA soldier returned to his home to find his wife with another man. The soldier killed the man and relatives of the slain man, upon hearing of the incident, rushed to the scene and killed four other people including the husband of the women. This was purely a crime of passion that resulted in revenge killing. It was not politically motivated. I wish to offer my condolences to the families who lost loved ones as a result of the terrible act of violence.

“Without checking their facts, Reuters inaccurately reported a claim by NCP that among the nine dead in Raja, included the local president of NCP. I spoke to him from Wau about two hours ago and I can assure you that he is alive and well.

“A criminal investigation has been opened regarding these killings, which are not election-related. Such information has been independently verified by numerous sources to include election observers, and local police and government officials. Attempts by NCP to link SPLM to this crime of passion is irresponsible. It is also irresponsible for journalists to include such accusations in their reporting without exercising discretion over their validity.

"In another example, on April 13th Lam Akol went to the media to claim that two of his supporters in Unity State had been killed by SPLM soldiers, and implied that this was done in coordination with SPLM. This claim has since been independently investigated and it turns out that it was scuffle between some groups and we have unconfirmed reports of injuries but no deaths.

"Why did the Sudan Tribune run so fast with such an allegation without confirming whether or not what Lam Akol is saying is true or false? In fact, the unnamed journalist conveniently writes that "The report could not immediately be confirmed by independent sources." Why was this published if it could not be independently verified? This is more like tabloid journalism than news, but unfortunately it is being taken as fact by their readers.

"The media needs to do more than simply publish claims by our opponents about deaths and violence, and that such acts are linked to SPLM. They need to independently confirm these reports. Anything less is equivalent to supporting the spread of rumors and innuendos.

"This type storytelling journalism will only lead to misperception about the real situation on the ground and foment tensions and threaten stability of the South. I urge all the news media, election observers and agents, and political parties to be responsible in their reporting of incidents. They should confirm the facts of such incidents before making allegations that cannot be substantiated or supported with credible evidence, and those failing to do so should be held accountable."

"The SPLA, police service, intelligence units and other security organs of the state are controlled and directed by the state – not SPLM, the political party. Our party is a non-violent democratic movement who has fought for decades for the individual freedoms that so many Southern Sudanese are enjoying today. Furthermore, the actions of rogue security agents and/or military personnel should not reflect official government policy, let alone SPLM policy.

"To imply that the political leadership of SPLM is actively colluding with security and military officials on the ground is a claim that has not been substantiated with any proof. We do not have SPLM political agents stationed with security orchestrating a mass suppression of the opposition as has been implied by our opponents and the news media.

"We support the free and fair conduct of elections in all of Sudan and continue to fight for the marginalized people and all Sudanese through our implementation of the CPA and the leadership of a legislature and government that is comprised of not one political party, but many.

- - -

Related reports

Ref: On Thursday 15 April 2010 several news sources reported that nine (9) people were killed in W. Bahr el Ghazal state. According to Dr Itto's report above, five (5) people were in fact killed in Timsah payam of Raja county in Western Bahr-El-Ghazal state, southern Sudan

SPLA denies killing NCP members in Raja County
From Sudan Tribune by Manyang Mayom

Friday 16 April 2010:

April 15, 2010 (RUMBEK) — The Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) official spokesman Maj-Gen. Kuol Diem Kuol has strongly denied SPLA involvement in the death of five members belonging to the National Congress Party (NCP) who were killed in Western Bahr-El-Ghazal state at Al-Timsha Payam of Raja county yesterday by an SPLA armed man who appeared in military uniform.

UN-sponsored Radio Miraya FM-101 broadcast this news item on Thursday, quoting NCP official Agnes Lukudu, chief of the party in South Sudan, who claimed that five members of her party were killed by SPLA soldiers at the polling canter in Al-Timsha payam of Raja county of Wau.

Maj –Gen. Kuol Deim Kuol denied her version of the the story saying that "this story was reported by NCP – what happened was an adultery case, it has nothing to do with election and it has nothing to do with politics. Somebody called Abdul found someone having committed adultery with is wife in his house during the midday – this is criminal issue and people should not mix crimes with politics."

"I don’t know what is happening to the people? Why everybody who has made sure to have failed in this election holds SPLA as a scapegoat? Those of who you take SPLA harassment as a solution are making a great mistake –it is a shame to take SPLA harassment for defeat in election and I want to tell them that they must be courageous toward their election – SPLA is not harassing any candidates," he noted.

The SPLA spokesman was speaking to our correspondent by phone from Juba. Along with his message the SPLM Deputy Secretary General Dr. Anne Itto on Thursday issued a strongly worded rebuke of media that had publicized this incident. She said that five rather than nine people were killed and added, “Without checking their facts, Reuters inaccurately reported a claim by NCP that among the nine dead in Raja, included the local president of NCP. I spoke to him from Wau about two hours ago and I can assure you that he is alive and well.”

“A criminal investigation has been opened regarding these killings, which are not election-related. Such information has been independently verified by numerous sources to include election observers, and local police and government officials. Attempts by NCP to link SPLM to this crime of passion is irresponsible. It is also irresponsible for journalists to include such accusations in their reporting without exercising discretion over their validity,” stated Itto.

Meanwhile, Commissioner of Raja County Luwis Ramadan has confirmed that the killings were driven by personal motivation and not political. The Raja county official confirmed that the killings happened five days ago and he questioned the NCP leader’s motive for withholding the announcement until now well after the incident is over in people’s minds.

SPLM state secretary spokesman Cde James Deng Dimo affirmed that it has been confirmed that at least five men were killed in Raga County of Western Bahr-El-Ghazal State in Timsha Payam in Raja County. Deng explained that the fighting that resulted in the killings had no connection with the elections process nor even occurred near to any polling station there in Al-Timsha.

The official explained that fighting started when a solider who had spent six months away from his family returned back from where he was deployed and caught his wife with another man. And then the man who was away began stabbing with a knife the man who had taken his wife. When the news reached the relatives of the man who was killed, they began by cocking their guns and running to the place where their relative was killed.

He added that they began by firing guns at those who were there until they killed five people. "I have to repeat that the fight has no connection with the elections or something to do with political; it is between the military men over a woman."

Dimo concluded that this incident has not affected the voting in Al-Timsha.

In a separate report, SPLA spokesman Kuol Deim Kuol denied a report that he suggested was spread by a woman who is on the election staff in Northern Bhar-El-Ghazal state (NBGS). Her statement broadcast on Miraya FM had suggested that SPLA has arrested the representative of a political party in NBGS. "First of all I want to underline, SPLA did not and will not arrest any official staff and we did not arrest any party official in NBGS."

Kuol explained that "whom we have arrested are SPLA officers and NCOs plus other enlisted personnel who are being misused by the independent candidate in NBGS."

"There are officers and NCOs and men being used by an independent candidate Deng Aturjong, and Athuar Akueng plus other independent candidates in NBGS — those guy are using SPLA soldiers to campaign for them."

Maj-Gen. Kuol asserted that participation in politics is not allowed in the SPLA and so under the present circumstances the SPLA division commander in Wunyiek asked approval to arrest those soldiers involved. The SPLA general headquarters in Juba granted him approval to arrest those soldiers. (ST)

Sudan election violence kills at least 5 in south
From The Associated Press (Khartoum, Sudan)
Thursday, 15 April 2010 - excerpt:

A statement from the ruling National Congress party said southern soldiers killed five of its supporters Wednesday in the southern province of Western Bahr el-Ghazal. A party spokesman said nine were killed. The discrepancy could not immediately be reconciled.

Nine killed in south Sudan
From Agence Presse France (Khartoum, Sudan)
Thursday, 15 April 2010 - via Capital FM Kenya:

KHARTOUM, Apr 15 - Sudan's southern army said nine people were killed, including a member of President Omar al-Beshir's National Congress Party, in violence on Thursday that was unrelated to nationwide elections.

Lam Akol, a candidate for the leadership of south Sudan, had said on Tuesday that two voters had been killed after the southern army opened fire at a polling station at Riak in the southern Unity State.

But the southern army said the killings actually happened in the remote village of Temsah, according to Kuol Deim Kuol, spokesman for the former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).

The dead, who also included seven civilians and a soldier, were slain as a result of a dispute about "adultery" that had "nothing to do with politics or elections," he added.

"A member of the NCP has committed adultery with the wife of a soldier of SPLM in the home of the soldier" who killed both of them, Kuol said.

Coming on the last day of landmark presidential, legislative and local elections, the incident led to clashes in which six NCP members were killed, before the soldier who had been cheated on committed suicide, he added.

Killings, harassment mar last day of Sudan vote
From Reuters by Skye Wheeler and Opheera McDoom
Thursday, 15 April 2010 8:59am EDT:

JUBA/KHARTOUM, Sudan (Reuters) - Sudan's ruling party said on Thursday that the southern army had killed nine people, including at least five of its officials, stoking tensions during voting in the first open elections in 24 years.

Oil-producing Sudan entered the last of a five days of presidential and legislative polls that mark a key test of stability for Africa's largest country, emerging from decades of civil war and preparing for a 2011 southern referendum on independence.

Voting has been largely peaceful, despite logistical problems and reported harassment of independent and opposition candidates.

Agnes Lokudu, head of the northern-dominated National Congress Party (NCP) in semi-autonomous south Sudan said the region's separate army had targeted and murdered at least five of its party officials and four other people earlier this week.
South Sudan's army said it was an individual crime of passion by one of their soldiers who had found the local NCP chief in bed with his wife.

"At night some (southern army) soldiers came to the home of the president of the National Congress Party in Raja, and killed him and eight other people, Lokudu said.

Raja county is in Western Bahr al-Ghazal state in a remote part of south Sudan. The attack was earlier this week.

On Thursday southern Sudanese observers said security forces had removed 19 monitors from polling stations, assaulting one.

Analysts said the violence was a worrying sign of rising tensions as the polls enter the crucial stage of counting, which begins on Friday. Results are due by April 20.

"The coming days are really when things are going to potentially get heated," said Maggie Fick, an analyst from the U.S.-based Enough project.

"Maybe these are isolated incidents but the last thing we need is out of control security personnel and that could easily happen in the coming stages."

The ex-southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) head Salva Kiir, is likely to retain his title of south Sudan president, vital ahead of a January 2011 southern vote on independence which many expect to result in secession.

A wave of boycotts by political parties in much of the north left little doubt the NCP's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir would win the national presidential elections. Facing an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for war crimes in Darfur, he hopes a victory would legitimize his rule.

Darfur's U.N.-African Union peacekeepers (UNAMID) confirmed that four of its South African police component were abducted in the western region wracked by a seven-year uprising.

On Thursday a group purporting to be the kidnappers of the two men and two women told Reuters they wanted a ransom of around $450,000 but gave no further details.

HARASSMENT OF COMPETITION

But in both north and south Sudan, the two dominant parties have been rattled by competition from independent or opposition candidates in some of the simultaneous elections for state and national parliaments and 24 state governors.

Many opposition and independent candidates have complained of harassment by authorities in both the south and north.

"There has been intimidation against supporters who are being told if they support me they will be arrested, that after the general elections are over they will kill supporters of the independent candidates," said Adil Senderi, an independent candidate for the largely separate southern Sudan parliament.

Senderi was just one of many independent candidates, opposition groups and Sudanese election monitors decrying what they said was an attempt to alter the outcome of the vote by ruling powers in both the north and south.

The African Center for Justice and Peace Studies said "systemic mechanisms to confuse the electorate and hinder engagement, such as the switching of symbols and manipulation of the registration list, are beginning to emerge."

In Khartoum, two members of youth activism group Girifna said they were beaten by NCP officials on Wednesday.

"They were beating us and we were begging the police around the voting station for help -- but they did not intervene," Nagla Sid Ahmed told Reuters.

International observers from the Carter Center and the European Union cannot comment until after the elections, But former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has made largely positive comments about the voting process.

Sudan ruling party says nine members killed in south
From Reuters CANADA - Thursday, 15 April 2010 3:36am EDT
(Reporting by Skye Wheeler; Writing by Opheera McDoom; Editing by Michael Roddy)
JUBA, Sudan - Sudan's ruling party said Thursday that the southern army had killed nine of its officials during the first open elections in 24 years...

Sudan ruling party says nine killed in south
From Reuters AlertNet - Thursday, 15 April 2010 10:54:01 GMT - full report:
(Reporting by Skye Wheeler; Writing by Opheera McDoom; Editing by Robert Woodward) - Source: Reuters (Adds detail, southern army comments, clarifies casualties)

JUBA, Sudan, April 15 (Reuters) - Sudan's ruling party said on Thursday the southern army had killed at least five of its officials and four other people during the first open elections in 24 years.

Agnes Lokudu, head of the northern-dominated National Congress Party in semi-autonomous south Sudan, had earlier said all nine killed were party officials, and that the murders were politically motivated.

The south Sudanese army (SPLA) said the deaths were the result of a crime of passion by one of its soldiers.

"At night some (southern army) soldiers came to the home of the president of the National Congress Party in Raja, and killed him and eight other people," Lokudu said.

Raja county is in Western Bahr al-Ghazal state in a remote part of south Sudan.

Sudan's elections entered the last day of a five-day voting period on Thursday and have been largely free from major violence. Opposition boycotts in much of the north left little competition for incumbent President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

But tension has been high in the south between parties and independents opposing the SPLM who have complained of arrests and harassment.

Lokudu said the killings happened some days ago but that people in the area had been too scared to report them.

Because most people voted for the NCP "the (army) got very angry and they shot him (the local president)," Lokudu said.

The southern army said one SPLA soldier had caught the NCP's top official in the village of Tensah in Raja county committing adultery with his wife, so he shot them both and six other "Arabs" who tried to stop him.

"This is clearly an adultery case and nothing to do with elections and politics. The NCP is just trying to politicise it," said SPLA spokesman Kuol Diem Kuol.

The ex-rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) dominates the southern government and its leader Salva Kiir, who is also south Sudan's president, is likely to win the presidential vote in the semi-autonomous region.

Sudanese are voting in presidential, legislative and gubernatorial elections supposed to transform the oil producer into a democracy, a key part of a 2005 north-south peace deal which ended more than two decades of civil war.

Under the accord, southern Sudanese will also vote in a January 2011 referendum on independence. (Reporting by Skye Wheeler; Writing by Opheera McDoom; Editing by Robert Woodward)

Sudan ruling party says nine members killed in south
From Reuters UK - Thursday, 15 April 2010 8:34am BST
(Reporting by Skye Wheeler; Writing by Opheera McDoom; Editing by Michael Roddy):
JUBA, Sudan - Sudan's ruling party said on Thursday that the southern army had killed nine of its officials during the first open elections in 24 years...

Sudan 'poll shooting' kills nine
From Al Jazeera (Al Jazeera and Agencies)
Thursday, 15 April 2010 - excerpt:

Speaking as the five-day presidential, parliamentary and local polls came to an end on Thursday, Agnes Lokudu, the head of the National Congress Party in south Sudan, blamed the killing on the region's local military.

"Three days ago at night some southern army soldiers came to the home of the president of the National Congress Party (NCP) in Raja, and killed him and eight other members of the NCP," Lokuda said.

Lokudu said the killings in Western Bahr al-Ghazal state were motivated by anger that many people in the area had voted for the NCP.

"This was a passionate crime to do with a wife - a feud that led to a shooting between the husband and lover," Suzanne Jambo, the head of the SPLM's external relations office, said. "This is not political."



The NCP claims that nine of its members were killed by southern army soldiers in election violence [Reuters]

Report: Sudanese elections turn deadly
From United Press International (Khartoum, Sudan)
Thursday, 15 April 2010 - excerpt:

Sudanese newspapers indicate nine members of the National Congress Party were killed in south Sudan, a report disputed by the Sudan People's Liberation Army.

Newspapers in Khartoum Thursday quoted NCP officials as saying, "(The) killing was committed by a member of the SPLA in the wake of altercations on the polling process," China's government-run news agency, Xinhua, reported.

"Nine NCP leading members were killed on Tuesday at Tumsah administrative unit in Raja ... in south Sudan after altercations with a member of the SPLA, the military arm of Sudan People's Liberation Movement," al-Ray al-A'm newspaper reported Thursday.

Xinhua said an SPLA military official disputed the incident.

"Such incident has never taken place. It is a fabricated and baseless story," the source told Xinhua. "The fabricated killing story comes as part of political harassment and it is an extension of a series of accusations by the ruling party to distort the SPLA and SPLM."

No incidents of violence were reported Thursday, the last day of polling in Sudan's general elections.

[Note from Sudan Watch Ed: It seems UPI has deleted its report and replaced it with another entitled "Ban applauds Sudan elections"]

Electoral Violence As Sudan Polls Close
From Enough Project at www.enoughproject.org
By Amanda Hsiao, Thursday 15 April 2010 - excerpt:

As five days of intense balloting for hundreds of government seats across 16,000 polling centers came to a close today in Sudan, simmering tensions, a reminder of the tremendous potential for violence that still remains, began to emerge in the largely peaceful exercise.

Violence broke out in the westernmost corner of South Sudan, where soldiers in the South Sudanese army, or SPLA, shot and killed nine individuals, five of whom were officials of the ruling party, the NCP. The motivations for the killings are unclear—the SPLA claims it was an act of personal vengeance—but the timing of the act, as voters were going to the polling stations to vote between the two political rivals, should not be overlooked. [...]

Fighting also broke out at a polling center in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, in South Sudan. According to an undisclosed source, SPLA soldiers clashed with locals at a voting station and nine independent candidates were arrested. On the same day, an SPLM candidate reportedly interfered with the ballot boxes. [...]

- - -

Ref: On Tuesday 13 April 2010, Lam Akol went to the media to claim that two of his supporters in Unity State, southern Sudan had been killed by SPLM soldiers, and implied that this was done in coordination with SPLM

Two voters killed, one candidate wounded in South Sudan: opposition leader
From English.news.cn - Wednesday, 14 April 2010:

KHARTOUM, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Two voters were killed and a candidate was wounded in the Unity State in South Sudan on Tuesday, the third polling day in Sudan's general elections, an opposition leader said.

"Two voters were killed and a candidate was wounded when the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) soldiers opened fire on the voters at a polling station in the Unity State," Lam Akol, the chairman of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-Democratic Change (SPLM-DC), told Xinhua here on Tuesday.

The SPLA is the military arm of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), the dominant party in South Sudan.

Akol, the only candidate contesting against SPLM Chairman Salva Kiir Mayardit for the post of South Sudan government president, went on saying that "the SPLA opened fire randomly, which resulted in the deaths of two voters and injury of one candidate."

Akol slammed at the SPLM, saying "the ministers and commissioners belonging to the SPLM and SPLA are intervening in the polling operations and threatening the citizens."

He added that commissioners of western and eastern Bahral- Ghazal states took the ballot boxes to their homes.

He called on Sudan's National Elections Commission (NEC) to take necessary measures to protect the voters and prevent the harassment made by the SPLM supporters.

No comment so far has been made by the South Sudan government or the SPLM on the incident.

The former rebel SPLM in South Sudan signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) with Khartoum in 2005 to end a two-decade civil war between the north and the south, and has become a partner of the ruling National Congress Party in the current Sudanese government.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

Lam Akol says two SLPM-DC members killed in Unity State
From Sudan Tribune - Wednesday, 14 April 2010 - excerpt:

April 13, 2010 (KHARTOUM) — Lam Akol, a candidate for the presidency of south Sudan government and leader of SPLM Democratic Change (SPLM-DC) said on Tuesday that two voters had been killed after the southern army opened fire at a polling station in Unity State.

"I was informed by telephone that at 11 am (0800 GMT), the southern army went to a polling station in Riak in (the southern) Unity State and opened fire, killing two voters and wounding one candidate," said Lam Akol, who is challenging southern leader Salva Kiir in elections for the head of the semi-autonomous government of south Sudan.

The report could not immediately be confirmed by independent sources.

- - -

Postscript

THANKS to Ndesanjo Macha for bringing to our attention 'Sudan Sham Elections 2010 Campaign' sudansham2010.org - and its new phase in activism at http://ionsudan.net/ in his commentary at Global Voices Friday, 16 April 2010 entitled Sudan: Using the web to promote fair elections, justice and democracy.

Note, according to the About page at website 'Sudan Sham Elections 2010 Campaign':

"We are regular citizens around the 50 United States and DC, standing with the people of Sudan—the marginalized, the disenfranchised, and the brutally oppressed—in demanding truth and strength. An indicted war criminal, responsible for millions of deaths, will never be a legitimate leader. Peace, protection, and justice will come from strength in effort and conviction from our leaders.

The Sudan Sham Elections 2010 network is committing to sustained action for peace in Sudan. Our new phase in activism is i On Sudan. Please participate!

iOnSudan.net

i On Sudan connects on-the-ground reports of violence, abuses, and other events to advocacy in the United States and around the world to immediately mobilize leaders towards immediate response on behalf of innocent civilians and to promote peace, protection, and justice in all of Sudan."

Can northern Sudan alone pass laws for the whole of Sudan?

The United States Embassy in Khartoum issued a strongly-worded statement from the State Department on Wednesday evening following the announcement that the NCP had passed legislation which differed from the original bill agreed to by the SPLM. Further details here below.

NCP Passing Of Amended Referendum Act Angers SPLM As US State Department Expresses Concern
Report by SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Wednesday, 23 December 2009:

(Khartoum) – The SPLM is accusing the NCP of pushing an amended version of controversial referendum legislation through parliament on Tuesday. The US State Department has issued a strongly-worded statement condemning the NCP for the move.

The SPLM claim that the legislation, which in part lays out the procedure for a referendum to decide the future of southern Sudan, was amended during the passage of the bill without the SPLM being consulted.

NCP MPs used their majority in the parliament to amend article 27 of the legislation which had previously been agreed with the SPLM. The article now includes a clause which stipulates that southerners living in the north must vote in the north during the referendum.

The move caused outrage among SPLM MPs and other southern political parties. They demanded that the agreed article should be reinstated. The original article stipulated that "all southerners living outside southern Sudan should return to their region of origin in order to vote."

The SPLM deputy chairman, Dr. Riek Machar, expressed his "surprise" at the NCP move at a press conference in Khartoum on Tuesday evening.

[Riek Machar]: “We are surprised about what happened today, because we had agreed at the highest level about this law. We agreed at the level of the presidency, attended by both chairmen of the NCP and the SPLM, after which this law was approved by the cabinet. We were present at that meeting. They (NCP) even described the session as "historic". There was a common desire to pass the referendum law for southern Sudan, the popular consultation process for Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile and the referendum law for Abyei. On Monday, I held a meeting with El Shiekh Ali, the joint chairman of the joint executive political committee and we discussed the importance of passing these laws.”

Machar added that after the NCP's decision to amend the agreed legislation, the SPLM will consider passing a different referendum law in the Southern Sudan legislative assembly.

[Dr. Riak Machar]: “I would like to say we will not accept the law which was passed today, because the SPLM caucus withdrew and the southern political parties also withdrew from the session. Some members from the NCP also withdrew from the assembly. The house was turned into a northern Sudanese assembly. Can northern Sudan alone pass laws for the whole of Sudan? I think this is an unacceptable precedent, because southern Sudanese could say to themselves that if things have reached such a state, then we will pass the agreed legislation in the south - then we will see which law will be the national law because we reject what took place today."

However, the NCP chairman of the committee which supervised the drafting of the referendum laws, Badreia Suliman, speaking at a press conference in Khartoum on Tuesday, said that the SPLM’s withdrawal from the parliament was unjustified since the terms were agreed upon by the two partners in previous meetings.

[Badreia Suliman]: “The withdrawal of our brothers in the SPLM from the legislative assembly session at the final stage which was meant to pass the referendum legislation is inexcusable, because the law was already agreed upon by all the political parties who were represented on the emergency committee.”

The NCP insists that including the original article violated the constitutional rights of Sudanese citizens because it contradicts article 25 which guards against racial discrimination in Sudan.

Other than southerners living in the north being able to vote in the south, the SPLM had insisted that southerners living abroad should also be able to vote during the referendum in 2011.

The disagreement between the NCP and the SPLM over the disputed article highlights recent tensions between two CPA partners and threatens to call into question the legitimacy of the referendum legislation under the terms of the CPA.


The United States Embassy in Khartoum issued a strongly-worded statement from the State Department on Wednesday evening following the announcement that the NCP had passed legislation which differed from the original bill agreed to by the SPLM:

“The United States is deeply concerned about reports that the National Assembly passed the Southern Sudan referendum bill with language added by the NCP that is different than that agreed to by NCP and SPLM leadership. Reneging on the agreement negotiated on December 13th by the two parties undermines the peace process, jeopardizes CPA implementation, and risks sparking renewed political hostilities between the parties. We call on the parties to pass the remaining bills, including the Abyei referendum bill, using the text as agreed, and to restore the Southern Sudan referendum bill to the agreed-upon language before it is signed into law.”

In the same statement, the United States also expressed its concern about the passage of a revised National Security Act on Monday which it said, “contains no new measures of accountability for the security services. For elections to be credible, it is incumbent on the regime to demonstrate in word and in deed that this law will not be used to arrest and detain political opponents. The Government of Sudan must also make immediate and significant improvements to the electoral environment, including permitting peaceful demonstrations, ending press censorship, and allowing opposition voices to be heard. The high voter registration signals the clear desire of the people of Sudan to participate in the process of democratic transformation as proposed in the spirit and letter of the CPA. The United States calls on all parties to work together to ensure the upcoming elections and referenda are conducted in a credible manner.”

The statement was issued by the US Embassy in Khartoum on Wednesday evening.

- - -

See report by Radio Dabanga in The Netherlands, 23 December 2009 entitled Vice president Sudan Salva Kiir feels cheated.

South Sudan: NCP accuses SPLM of registering voters after December 7 deadline

Hello, the second paragraph of this report made me laugh. Maybe I'm in a funny mood today and this report is not funny at all.

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, 15 December 2009:
NCP Accuses SPLM of Registering Voters After December 7 Deadline

(Khartoum) – The National Congress Party is accusing the SPLM of registering voters after the registration exercise has officially ended.

The NCP secretary for Greater Bahr el-Ghazal, Matthew Mayor, told SRS on Tuesday in Khartoum that the voter registration exercise is still continuing in some parts of southern Sudan. Voter registration officially ended in Sudan on December 7.

[Matthew Mayor]: “Yesterday, we discovered that they were still registering people and we launched an investigation. We received accusations three days ago saying that the SPLM is still registering voters, even after the end of the official period. The registration papers have been seen at the polling stations. They have still not been collected and we are concerned that registration is still underway even after the end of the official period. People who are in the field are saying the SPLM is still registering soldiers. Of course this is not a simple issue, it is a big one and we will discuss it with the relevant authorities, which is the commission. This is a violation of the voter registration exercise.”

SRS attempted to contact the head of voter registration at the NEC, Alhadi Mohamed Ahmed, but he was unavailable for comment.

Sudan's national opposition parties calling for mass demo in Khartoum on Monday

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service December 4, 2009:

(Khartoum, Sudan) – The coalition of national opposition parties is calling for a mass demonstration in Khartoum in front of parliament buildings on Monday.

The coalition says that the move is a protest against the NCP’s delay in passing key security and referendum legislation.

The coalition’s spokesman, Farouk Abu Issa, spoke to SRS from Khartoum on Friday.

[Farouk Abu Issa]:”The brothers and sisters in the coalition of national opposition parties, thought that it was important to take this action, because of the NCP’s reluctance to abolish laws that restrict our freedom, violate the constitution and are contrary to the principles of international human rights. We have decided to organize a mass gathering to express our opposition to this policy which is destroying democracy and the country itself. We have agreed on the time, it will be at 9.30 or 9.00 on Monday morning, and that is the day when the parliament will start its sessions.”

The National Congress Party has described the move as “sign of weakness of the opposition parties”.

A senior NCP member, Dr. Mandor El-Mahdi, speaking to SRS on Monday, described the action as a sign of weakness.

[Dr. Mandor El-Mahdi]: “Thinking of organizing this demonstration is a thinking that shows the weakness and incapability of the opposition parties in Sudan. People know that we have started the elections process and the voter registration exercise is about to come to an end. These parties should be mobilizing people and urging them to join the registration process, and to be prepared for the next step which is the elections stage. But these parties want to create this chaos and disturbance in order to justify why they are intending to boycott the elections.”

GONU has condemned the opposition parties’ plan to organize the demonstration.

The adviser to the GONU Minister of Information, Dr. Rabie Abdullaati, spoke to SRS from Khartoum.

[Dr. Rabie Abdullaati]: “The weird thing is that Farouk Abu Issa is a member of the parliament and many of the people who joined the Juba coalition are MPs. I wonder, these people are members of parliament and it is their responsibility to debate the issue of why the laws are not before parliament, and they are demanding the parliament to intact these laws. So who is demanding what from whom?!”

Dr. Rabie Abdullaati was speaking to SRS from Khartoum on Friday.

SPLM and NCP in deadlock over CPA implementation

From SRS - Sudan Radio Service December 4, 2009:

(Khartoum, Sudan) - The SPLM is asking for a mediator to break the deadlock between them and the NCP over the issue of CPA implementation.

The NCP rejected a proposal from the SPLM to involve regional bodies like IGAD, (the Inter-governmental Agency for Development), to help them reach a solution before the 2010 election.

SPLM secretary-general Pagan Amum told SRS on Thursday that time has run out for them to settle the issue of the referendum laws and the democratic transformation laws which have not yet been presented to parliament.

[Pagan Amum]: “There is a deadlock between the two parties. The NCP is blocking the implementation of the CPA, despite its previous commitment. We were supposed to adopt the referendum laws on southern Sudan’ self-determination one-and-half years ago, but, up to today we could not because the NCP is refusing to submit the legislation to the parliament. The NCP is also violating the constitution and the CPA by insisting on the national security laws that gives powers of impunity to the security forces to arrest Sudanese citizens without an arrest warrant from the courts. So the next move is to call on IGAD, the international community and the UN Security Council to intervene to prevent the collapse of the peace agreement and to avoid a return to war.”

However, the NCP has rejected the SPLM’s proposition, saying that the CPA stipulates that it is the duty of both partners to discuss and agree on issues regarding its implementations.

Dr. Rabbie Abdullaatti is an NCP member and the advisor to the Minister of information in the Government of National Unity.

[Dr. Rabbie Abdullaatti]: “I don’t think that there is any need for IGAD or any regional organization to be involved in the implementation of the CPA since we know that only a few issues are under discussion between the two parties. A joint committee has been formed by the SPLM and the NCP to resolve and find a compromise regarding the referendum act and the national security laws. So our suggestion is that the SPLM should stop boycotting the parliamentary sessions. They should come forward and give their views in the assembly. This statement by the secretary-general of the SPLM is just a political message to the African Union and IGAD.”

The SPLM and other opposition parties are boycotting parliamentary sessions and they threaten to boycott the elections if the NCP doesn’t reform laws that they say impede democratic transformation in Sudan.

SPLM's Pagan Amum: South Sudan threatens to declare independence

The BBC correspondent in Khartoum, James Copnall, said Mr Amum's comments - and maybe even the NCP's reported demands for the 75% threshold in the vote - can perhaps best be understood as part of the tough negotiations around this issue.

There has been a delay in passing the law which will establish the procedures for the referendum.

See full story here below from BBC News and Sudan Radio Service.



Photo: Pagan Amum, secretary general of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) says the governing party is laying down unfair referendum rules. (Getty Images/|BBC)

From BBC News at 17:45 GMT, Tuesday, 11 August 2009 18:45 UK:
South Sudan in independence threat

A senior politician in South Sudan says the south will declare unilateral independence if it does not get a fair referendum on the issue.

Pagan Amum, the secretary general of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, said the governing National Congress Party was trying to obstruct the vote.

He said the NCP was insisting that 75% of southerners vote for independence before the south could leave Sudan.

The NCP has not commented on the voting majority needed in the 2011 poll.

"We are warning the National Congress - we are also alerting the people of southern Sudan - that we have a serious problem," Mr Amum told the BBC World Service's Focus on Africa.

"The National Congress is poised to betray the people of southern Sudan again."

"We are not threatening anything at all," he said. "We are saying that any attempt to deny the people of southern Sudan the right to self-determination will force the people of southern Sudan to declare a unilateral independence."

'Simple majority'

Asked why he objected to the 75% figure being used and if he was afraid he could not reach that target, Mr Amum said: "We are not afraid of anything."

"We are saying the referendum should be a simple referendum like all referendum that have been conducted in the world. They have always been conducted with a simple majority."

There has been a delay in passing the law which will establish the procedures for the referendum.

The BBC correspondent in Khartoum, James Copnall, said Mr Amum's comments - and maybe even the NCP's reported demands for the 75% threshold in the vote - can perhaps best be understood as part of the tough negotiations around this issue.

The south is considered likely to vote for independence when the referendum does take place.

Many of Sudan's lucrative oilfields are in the south and this, along with national pride, means the north is keen to hold on to the vast if underdeveloped territory.

The 22-year war between the mainly Muslim north and the Christian and animist south ended in 2005, after 1.5 million people died.

Under the 2005 peace deal the former rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) formed a power-sharing government with President Omar al-Bashir's National Congress Party in Khartoum.

National elections are due in 2010, a year before the referendum on whether the south should secede.

From Sudan Radio Service, Tuesday, 11 August 2009:
SPLM Threatens to Declare Independence

(Khartoum) – The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement says that if the National Congress Party tries to obstruct the endorsement of the referendum law, southern Sudanese would table a parliamentary motion to announce the separation of southern Sudan.

The statement was made by the SPLM secretary-general Pagan Amum in a press conference held at party headquarters in Khartoum on Monday.

[Pagan Amum]: “The attempts by the NCP to impose unachievable conditions as a part of the referendum law, will not help the issue. If people do not get their interests in unity, they will get it in separation, if you (the NCP) try to escape from self-determination; the people will decide their determination using other ways, including the announcement of self-determination from inside the parliament. Don’t forget that we had the same experience before here in Khartoum, regarding unity between Sudan and Egypt, the government or the parliament decided to announce the self-determination from inside the parliament. ”

However, the National Congress Party has described Pagan’s statement as violation of the constitution.

Senior NCP official Mandour El-Mahdi spoke to Sudan Radio Service from Khartoum on Tuesday.

[Mandour el-Mahdi]: “Regarding the threat made by Pagan yesterday (Monday) that southern Sudan will go for other options including the announcement of self-determination inside the parliament according to what happened in 1955. We say that this is illogical talk, and talk that shows a threatening spirit and it is rejected by us in the NCP. If the SPLM is thinking of that, this issue will be considered as violation of the constitution and we will really consider it as an announcement of a new rebellion by some sons of the SPLM.”

Mandour explains the situation between the two partners in terms of endorsing the referendum law, and the difficulties which are facing them.

[Mandour el-Mahdi]:”First of all, we don’t know what is the nature of the obstacles that Pagan is talking about, we know that there are disagreements in some parts of the referendum law, not only between the SPLM and the NCP, but also between other political forces and the SPLM. The first issue is who qualifies and has the right to vote in the referendum. We say that all the southern Sudanese present in the south or in the north will have the right to vote. The SPLM is insisting that southern Sudanese in the north who want to vote for referendum, should go back to southern Sudan, and that is difficult.”

El-Mahdi said that NCP’s stand is that the self-determination will be achieved only when 75 percent and above of southerners vote for it.

[Mandour el-Mahdi]: “The second point is the issue of the referendum commission. There should be wide representation in the commission. We are talking about 15 members, and they (the SPLM) are talking about very limit numbers, 9 members. The third issue is the percentage by which the option of the separation will be determined; we think the issue of separation is a huge issue, so it can’t be determined by a simple majority, 50 percent plus 1. So our opinion is that the separation will be determined when 75 percent of registered voters from the south vote for the separation option.”

Mandour el-Mahdi was speaking to Sudan Radio Service from Khartoum.

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