GOOD news. Sudan and South Sudan on Friday, 08 March 2013, signed an agreement for practical implementation of the security agreements, which the two countries signed in September last year.
Defence ministers from both sides met on Friday for a new round of talks in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. to set up a buffer zone along their frontier.
The two countries signed the agreement at the conclusion of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM) meeting started last Thursday (07 March) and co-chaired by Defence Ministers Abdel Rahim Muhammed Hussein of Sudan, and John Kong Nyuon of South Sudan in Addis Ababa.
The two Ministers together with former President Abubakar Abdulsalam of Nigeria on the side of the AUHIP signed the agreement for translation into action of the security agreements reached on September 27 in Addis Ababa.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who chairs the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP), said the two had agreed to order their forces out of the demilitarised zone by 14 March 2013.
"D-day is March 10. The agreement calls for immediate orders (for withdrawal) to be issued within D-day plus four days," Mr. Mbeki told a news conference in Addis Ababa on Friday (08 March).
The two countries will finish withdrawing their troops from the demilitarised zone by 05 April 2013, according to a timetable agreed by both sides seen by Reuters.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon welcomes the agreement signed on Friday (08 March) by Sudan and South Sudan on the establishment of the Safe Demilitarised Border Zone, the deployment of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism and the activation of all security related mechanisms as of 10 March 2013. With this agreement, there should be no further conditions in the way of immediate implementation of the other signed 27 September agreements, including the agreement on oil.
According to tweet posted on Twitter by @AUHIP, AUHIP arrived in Addis Abba for the Sudans talks Wednesday, 06 March 2013.
Here below are further details in a news round-up consisting of ten reports including a copy of:
- a report by VOA regarding the resignation of Sisto Olur Erista, the Secretary-General of the main opposition party in South Sudan, the SPLM-DC -- and news of a three-day meeting of the SPLM politburo being chaired by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir ahead of an extraordinary convention of the SPLM, which is scheduled to be held next week.
- a report by Sudan Vision Daily saying the Sudanese government considers that a report of the UN that JEM has a military base in South Sudan was a declaration of what was confirmed by Sudan that the Government of South Sudan harbours a number of Sudanese armed movements, including SPLM-N. Sudan has been calling on Juba to refrain from hosting armed movements fighting the Sudanese government, as well as disengagement between it and the SPLM-N, according agreements signed between the two countries.
- a report by Xinhua featuring Ibrahim Ghandour, NCP official in charge of external relations, in an exclusive interview to Xinhua. Mr. Ghandour noted that the negotiations in Addis Ababa follow up the implementation of what was agreed upon in September during the summit between the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his Southern Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir Mayardit. Ghandour explained that the two countries mainly divide on the affiliation of the Mile (14) area and bicker over the link between South Sudan's army and the 9th and 10th infantry divisions in Sudan's South Kordofan and Blue Nile States. "Resolving these two issues will likely to lead to the implementation of all the other agreements including the establishment of the demilitarised zone, demarcation of the joint border and resumption of South Sudan's oil pumping and exporting via Sudan's territories," noted Ghandour. He further said that the oil issue has already been agreed on, explaining that "we are only looking forward to implementing the security measures because without security, the oil exportation will not be possible. Security is the base of any successful economic cooperation between the two countries."
Note, on 01 March 2013 Russia assumed the rotating Presidency of the UN Security Council.
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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon Latest Statements
UNITED NATIONS, New York, Friday 08 March 2013 - Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on the establishment of the Safe Demilitarised Border Zone between Sudan and South Sudan and the activation of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism
The Secretary-General welcomes the agreement signed today by Sudan and South Sudan on the establishment of the Safe Demilitarised Border Zone, the deployment of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism and the activation of all security related mechanisms as of 10 March 2013. With this agreement, there should be no further conditions in the way of immediate implementation of the other signed 27 September agreements, including the agreement on oil.
The Secretary-General reiterates the United Nations readiness to support the operations of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism and assist the parties in the implementation of these agreements.
Source: http://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=6644
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Ban welcomes new border agreements between Sudan and South Sudan
(UN News Centre) Friday 08 March 2013 - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed an agreement on signed today by Sudan and South Sudan which aim to strengthen border security and lead to the permanent resolution of outstanding issues between the two countries.
Today’s agreement, according to a statement [http://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=6644] released by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson, concerns the establishment of a safe demilitarised border zone, the deployment of a joint border verification and monitoring mechanism and the activation of agreed security-related mechanisms as of 10 March 2013.
Even though the birth of South Sudan was the culmination of a six-year peace process, which helped bring an end to the long-running conflict between South Sudan and Sudan, the peace between the two countries has been threatened by armed clashes along their common border and outstanding post-independence issues that have yet to be resolved, notably the status of the oil-rich area of Abyei.
Last year, the two countries’ leaders met in Ethiopia, reaching, on 27 September, a key framework agreement for cooperation on security, the common border and economic relations.
“With this agreement, there should be no further conditions in the way of immediate implementation of the other signed 27 September agreements, including the agreement on oil,” Mr. Ban’s spokesman said in his statement today.
Through today’s statement, the Secretary-General also reiterated the United Nations readiness to support the operations of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism and assist the parties in the implementation of these agreements, the spokesperson said.
Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44328&Cr=sudan&Cr1=#.UTqa5Bl0F2I
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Sudan, South Sudan sign agreement for implementation of security arrangements
ADDIS ABABA, Friday 08 March 2013 (Xinhua) - Sudan and South Sudan on Friday signed agreement for practical implementation of the security agreements, which the two countries signed in September last year.
The two countries signed the agreement at the conclusion of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM) meeting started last Thursday and co-chaired by Defence Ministers Abdel Rahim Muhammed Hussein of Sudan, and John Kong Nyuon of South Sudan here in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The JPSM has been discussing the implementation of the agreements that were signed in September last year, said former President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, who is Chairperson of the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP).
The two Ministers together with former President Abubakar Abdulsalam of Nigeria on the side of the AUHIP signed the agreement for translation into action of the security agreements reached on September 27 in Addis Ababa.
Stating that the JPSM meeting had been held in December, January and now to work on the practical implementation program, Mbeki said: "Fortunately and happily, those discussions have now been concluded."
They are not general documents; they are specific documents which will require implementation of all the elements of security agreements in last September, said Mbeki.
(Editor: yan)
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-03/09/c_132219567.htm
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Sudan, South to withdraw forces from border zone
ADDIS ABABA, Friday 08 March 2013 3:35pm EST (Reuters) - Sudan and South Sudan agreed on Friday to order their forces out of a demilitarised border zone within a week, a mediator said, possibly opening the way to the resumption of oil exports from the south.
South Sudan seceded from the north in 2011 after decades of war but border disputes and disagreements over oil pipeline fees have dragged on, delaying much-needed economic development.
The landlocked South shut down its oil production of 350,000 barrels per day more than a year ago during a row over how much it should pay the north to pipe its crude to a coastal terminal for export.
With oil the lifeline of both economies, the move has strained their state budgets, weakened currencies, stoked inflation and worsened economic hardship.
Defence ministers from both sides met on Friday for a new round of talks in Addis Ababa to set up a buffer zone along their frontier.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who chairs an African Union mediation panel, said the two had agreed to order their forces out of the demilitarised zone by March 14.
"D-day is March 10. The agreement calls for immediate orders (for withdrawal) to be issued within d-day plus four days," he told a news conference in the Ethiopian capital.
The two countries will finish withdrawing their troops from the demilitarised zone by April 5, according to a timetable agreed by both sides seen by Reuters.
The former civil war foes have made a number of agreements about border security in the past, but have failed to implement them.
After teetering on the brink of full-scale conflict in April with the worst border clashes since their split, the two countries agreed in September to set up a buffer zone, which could defuse tensions enough for the South to resume oil output.
But neither side had pulled its army back from the almost 2,000-km (1,200-mile) border due to the mistrust left over from one of Africa's longest civil wars.
Friday's talks were the first in nearly two months. Two meetings between Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and South Sudan's Salva Kiir in Addis Ababa in January failed to break the stalemate.
Animosity runs high between Bashir's government in Khartoum and his former foes up the Nile in Juba.
Nearly 2 million people died in the north-south civil war, which left South Sudan economically devastated and awash with guns.
Khartoum accuses Juba of backing rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, two Sudan states bordering the South.
The SPLM-North, made up of fighters who sided with the South during the civil war, controls part of the Sudan side of the border, which complicates setting up the buffer zone.
South Sudan has denied supporting the rebels.
(Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by Alexander Dziadosz and Jon Hemming)
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/08/us-sudan-south-borders-idUSBRE92711H20130308
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Sudan, South Sudan agree to pull troops from demilitarised zone
(CNN) Friday 08 March 2013; 23:31 GMT (07:31 HKT) - Sudan and South Sudan signed an agreement Friday to soon withdraw their respective military forces from a demilitarised zone between the two African countries, officials from both nations said.
Signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the deal was brokered by former South African President Thabo Mbeki. Defence ministers from both Sudan and South Sudan promised they'd implement the agreement later this month.
South Sudan became independent from Sudan in July 2011, following a popular referendum. But the two nations have remained at odds on some issues, including defining their borders and oil exports.
(Reporting by CNN Staff)
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/08/world/africa/sudan-south-sudan-agreement/
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South Sudan opposition feuds as ruling SPLM meets
(Voice of America News) Thursday 07 March 2013 - The secretary general of the main opposition party in South Sudan, the SPLM-DC, has resigned, accusing the exiled chairman of his party of stoking divisions.
SPLM-DC Secretary General Sisto Olur Erista said party chair, Lam Akol, has encouraged tribalism in the party.
Akol, who went into exile after South Sudan became independent in July 2011, saying he felt his life was in danger, denied the charges in a telephone interview with VOA News from the Middle East.
As the SPLM-DC was riven by divisions, the ruling SPLM party's political bureau, the main decision-making body of the party, gathered for the first time since the country gained independence two years ago, to discuss changing the party's constitution and manifesto.
The last time the political bureau of the SPLM met was in April 2008, which was also the last time the party held elections.
SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum told reporters before the closed-door politburo meeting that one thing to be discussed is how to help win over voters to the party.
The three-day meeting of the SPLM politburo is being chaired by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, and comes ahead of an extraordinary convention of the SPLM, which is scheduled to be held next week.
Source: http://www.voanews.com/content/south-sudan-opposition-feud-ruling-splm-meets/1617088.html
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Interview: Khartoum's ruling NCP urges Juba to show political will to overcome differences
KHARTOUM, Wednesday 06 March 2013 (Xinhua) - Sudan's ruling National Congress Party (NCP) urged the South Sudanese government Wednesday to show the necessary political will to overcome the differences between the two countries ahead of their new round of negotiations.
"We are looking forward to an active political will on the part of our brothers in South Sudan to reach a comprehensive settlement for the issues of difference," said Ibrahim Ghandour, NCP official in charge of external relations, in an exclusive interview to Xinhua.
He noted that the negotiations, slated to resume in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Thursday [07 March], will follow up the implementation of what was agreed upon in September during the summit between the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his Southern Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir Mayardit.
He explained that the two countries mainly divide on the affiliation of the Mile (14) area and bicker over the link between South Sudan's army and the 9th and 10th infantry divisions in Sudan's South Kordofan and Blue Nile States.
"Resolving these two issues will likely to lead to the implementation of all the other agreements including the establishment of the demilitarized zone, demarcation of the joint border and resumption of South Sudan's oil pumping and exporting via Sudan's territories," noted Ghandour.
He further said that the oil issue has already been agreed on, explaining that "we are only looking forward to implementing the security measures because without security, the oil exportation will not be possible. Security is the base of any successful economic cooperation between the two countries."
Ghandour expressed optimism over this round of talks, saying "I expect it to be more positive than the previous ones, but we are looking forward to an active will on the part of South Sudan's leadership."
"After the conclusion of the presidential meeting in September, they refused to implement the agreement regarding the Mile (14) area despite the fact that it was signed by President Salva Kiir," said Ghandour. "They also rejected the border agreement despite the fact that it was presented by the technical committee to the two presidents who signed it."
That said, Ghandour reiterated the NCP's commitment to what was agreed on with the south.
The African Union mediation, led by Thabo Mbeki, recently urged Sudan and South Sudan to resume their talks.
He urged the two countries to implement what they have agreed on and fulfill their commitments, warning them against any unjustified delay.
Mbeki is also expected to ask the two countries' presidents to meet on the sidelines of the forthcoming African Union summit in Addis Ababa, since recent rounds of talks between Khartoum and Juba have ended without any progress.
On Sept. 27, Sudan and South Sudan signed a package of agreements on various issues during a presidential summit in the capital of Ethiopia.
Witnessed by the members of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan, the two sides inked three deals on cooperation, security and post-secession matters. However, the signed agreements did not tackle the issues of Abyei and border demarcation.
(Editor: yan)
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-03/07/c_132213922.htm
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Sudan, South Sudan to resume security talks in Addis Ababa Thursday
KHARTOUM, Wednesday 06 March 2013; 17:10:32 (Xinhua) - Meetings of the joint political and security committee between Sudan and South Sudan are to resume on Thursday [07 March] in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa after failing to resume by mid of last February, Khartoum's Al-Intibaha daily reported Wednesday.
"The political and security committee of Sudan and South Sudan will resume its meetings in Addis Ababa on Thursday with the participation of the two countries' defence ministers," the report said.
"Khartoum is adherent to its proposal according to the security agreement signed by the two countries," the paper quoted a security source in the committee as saying, noting that the Sudanese government delegation has left for Addis Ababa.
However, until Tuesday Juba has not yet submitted its proposals to the African committee of experts regarding the border differences, the report said.
It added that the African Union mediation mechanism on the outstanding issues between the two countries was expected to present a negotiating document to Sudan's delegation concerning the negotiation with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector.
Head of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP) Thabo Mbeki has recently called on Sudan and South Sudan to resume the negotiations with the participation of what he termed as key players.
Mbeki expressed hope that the coming round of negotiations between Khartoum and Juba would be successful.
On September 27 last year, Sudan and South Sudan signed a package of agreements on various issues during a presidential summit in the capital of Ethiopia.
Witnessed by the AUHIP members, the two sides inked three deals on cooperation, security and post-secession matters.
However, the signed agreements did not tackle the issues of Abyei and border demarcation.
Though months elapsed since the two sides have signed the cooperation agreement, yet they failed to implement it on the ground.
(Editor: Sha Sha)
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2013-03/06/c_132213397.htm
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Sudan delegate: UN Security Council supports Sudan position
KHARTOUM, Friday 08 March 2013 (Sudan Vision Daily) - Representative of the Sudan to the UN, Ambassador Dafallah Al-Haj Ali said that the assurances of the UNSC sanctions team that the South government harbouring the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the presence of SPLA forces in a number of Sudanese locations considered the first document issued by the UN and matches what demanded by the Sudan to the Government of the State of South Sudan to lift her hand on the armed movements and rebels support.
Ambassador Ali said that the report of the Sanctions Committee in this regard is as a result of the complaints that have been provided by Sudan's mission to the Security Council about the excesses of Juba government and its support for the rebels. He revealed that Sudan's mission will ask the Security Council to take clear action to pressure on the South government to stop its support of the rebel movements.
On the other hand, the government considered that the report of the UN that JEM has a military base in South Sudan was a declaration of what was confirmed by Sudan that the Government of South Sudan harbours a number of Sudanese armed movements, including SPLM-N.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Abu Bakr Mohamed Al-Amin said, in a press statement, that the report represents an evidence from an international body, which cannot be accused of bias for Sudan.
He added that Sudan has been calling on Juba to refrain from hosting armed movements fighting the Sudanese government, as well as disengagement between it and the SPLM-N, according agreements signed between the two countries.
(Reporting by Staff Writer)
Source: http://news.sudanvisiondaily.com/details.html?rsnpid=220261
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Postscript by the Editor of SUDAN WATCH
On March 01, 2013 Russia assumed the rotating Presidency of the UN Security Council.
The main theme of Russian presidency will be Afghan reconciliation.
Russian presidency will focus on problems of Middle East and further efforts of the Quartet to accomplish all-encompassing regional reconciliation. The UN SC work on reconciliation Sudan and Southern Sudan will be continued.
The Security Council will consider the situation in Southern Sudan and the activity if the deployed there UN peacekeeping mission.
Issues of the activity of the UN SC Commissions for Iran sanctions, for Somalia and Eritrea will be touched upon.
Full story at: http://www.thepresidentpost.com/?p=25942
Thank you for reading SUDAN WATCH.
Defence ministers from both sides met on Friday for a new round of talks in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. to set up a buffer zone along their frontier.
The two countries signed the agreement at the conclusion of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM) meeting started last Thursday (07 March) and co-chaired by Defence Ministers Abdel Rahim Muhammed Hussein of Sudan, and John Kong Nyuon of South Sudan in Addis Ababa.
The two Ministers together with former President Abubakar Abdulsalam of Nigeria on the side of the AUHIP signed the agreement for translation into action of the security agreements reached on September 27 in Addis Ababa.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who chairs the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP), said the two had agreed to order their forces out of the demilitarised zone by 14 March 2013.
"D-day is March 10. The agreement calls for immediate orders (for withdrawal) to be issued within D-day plus four days," Mr. Mbeki told a news conference in Addis Ababa on Friday (08 March).
The two countries will finish withdrawing their troops from the demilitarised zone by 05 April 2013, according to a timetable agreed by both sides seen by Reuters.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon welcomes the agreement signed on Friday (08 March) by Sudan and South Sudan on the establishment of the Safe Demilitarised Border Zone, the deployment of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism and the activation of all security related mechanisms as of 10 March 2013. With this agreement, there should be no further conditions in the way of immediate implementation of the other signed 27 September agreements, including the agreement on oil.
According to tweet posted on Twitter by @AUHIP, AUHIP arrived in Addis Abba for the Sudans talks Wednesday, 06 March 2013.
Here below are further details in a news round-up consisting of ten reports including a copy of:
- a report by VOA regarding the resignation of Sisto Olur Erista, the Secretary-General of the main opposition party in South Sudan, the SPLM-DC -- and news of a three-day meeting of the SPLM politburo being chaired by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir ahead of an extraordinary convention of the SPLM, which is scheduled to be held next week.
- a report by Sudan Vision Daily saying the Sudanese government considers that a report of the UN that JEM has a military base in South Sudan was a declaration of what was confirmed by Sudan that the Government of South Sudan harbours a number of Sudanese armed movements, including SPLM-N. Sudan has been calling on Juba to refrain from hosting armed movements fighting the Sudanese government, as well as disengagement between it and the SPLM-N, according agreements signed between the two countries.
- a report by Xinhua featuring Ibrahim Ghandour, NCP official in charge of external relations, in an exclusive interview to Xinhua. Mr. Ghandour noted that the negotiations in Addis Ababa follow up the implementation of what was agreed upon in September during the summit between the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his Southern Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir Mayardit. Ghandour explained that the two countries mainly divide on the affiliation of the Mile (14) area and bicker over the link between South Sudan's army and the 9th and 10th infantry divisions in Sudan's South Kordofan and Blue Nile States. "Resolving these two issues will likely to lead to the implementation of all the other agreements including the establishment of the demilitarised zone, demarcation of the joint border and resumption of South Sudan's oil pumping and exporting via Sudan's territories," noted Ghandour. He further said that the oil issue has already been agreed on, explaining that "we are only looking forward to implementing the security measures because without security, the oil exportation will not be possible. Security is the base of any successful economic cooperation between the two countries."
Note, on 01 March 2013 Russia assumed the rotating Presidency of the UN Security Council.
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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon Latest Statements
UNITED NATIONS, New York, Friday 08 March 2013 - Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on the establishment of the Safe Demilitarised Border Zone between Sudan and South Sudan and the activation of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism
The Secretary-General welcomes the agreement signed today by Sudan and South Sudan on the establishment of the Safe Demilitarised Border Zone, the deployment of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism and the activation of all security related mechanisms as of 10 March 2013. With this agreement, there should be no further conditions in the way of immediate implementation of the other signed 27 September agreements, including the agreement on oil.
The Secretary-General reiterates the United Nations readiness to support the operations of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism and assist the parties in the implementation of these agreements.
Source: http://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=6644
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Ban welcomes new border agreements between Sudan and South Sudan
(UN News Centre) Friday 08 March 2013 - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed an agreement on signed today by Sudan and South Sudan which aim to strengthen border security and lead to the permanent resolution of outstanding issues between the two countries.
Today’s agreement, according to a statement [http://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=6644] released by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson, concerns the establishment of a safe demilitarised border zone, the deployment of a joint border verification and monitoring mechanism and the activation of agreed security-related mechanisms as of 10 March 2013.
Even though the birth of South Sudan was the culmination of a six-year peace process, which helped bring an end to the long-running conflict between South Sudan and Sudan, the peace between the two countries has been threatened by armed clashes along their common border and outstanding post-independence issues that have yet to be resolved, notably the status of the oil-rich area of Abyei.
Last year, the two countries’ leaders met in Ethiopia, reaching, on 27 September, a key framework agreement for cooperation on security, the common border and economic relations.
“With this agreement, there should be no further conditions in the way of immediate implementation of the other signed 27 September agreements, including the agreement on oil,” Mr. Ban’s spokesman said in his statement today.
Through today’s statement, the Secretary-General also reiterated the United Nations readiness to support the operations of the Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism and assist the parties in the implementation of these agreements, the spokesperson said.
Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=44328&Cr=sudan&Cr1=#.UTqa5Bl0F2I
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Sudan, South Sudan sign agreement for implementation of security arrangements
ADDIS ABABA, Friday 08 March 2013 (Xinhua) - Sudan and South Sudan on Friday signed agreement for practical implementation of the security agreements, which the two countries signed in September last year.
The two countries signed the agreement at the conclusion of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM) meeting started last Thursday and co-chaired by Defence Ministers Abdel Rahim Muhammed Hussein of Sudan, and John Kong Nyuon of South Sudan here in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The JPSM has been discussing the implementation of the agreements that were signed in September last year, said former President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, who is Chairperson of the African Union High Implementation Panel (AUHIP).
The two Ministers together with former President Abubakar Abdulsalam of Nigeria on the side of the AUHIP signed the agreement for translation into action of the security agreements reached on September 27 in Addis Ababa.
Stating that the JPSM meeting had been held in December, January and now to work on the practical implementation program, Mbeki said: "Fortunately and happily, those discussions have now been concluded."
They are not general documents; they are specific documents which will require implementation of all the elements of security agreements in last September, said Mbeki.
(Editor: yan)
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-03/09/c_132219567.htm
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Sudan, South to withdraw forces from border zone
ADDIS ABABA, Friday 08 March 2013 3:35pm EST (Reuters) - Sudan and South Sudan agreed on Friday to order their forces out of a demilitarised border zone within a week, a mediator said, possibly opening the way to the resumption of oil exports from the south.
South Sudan seceded from the north in 2011 after decades of war but border disputes and disagreements over oil pipeline fees have dragged on, delaying much-needed economic development.
The landlocked South shut down its oil production of 350,000 barrels per day more than a year ago during a row over how much it should pay the north to pipe its crude to a coastal terminal for export.
With oil the lifeline of both economies, the move has strained their state budgets, weakened currencies, stoked inflation and worsened economic hardship.
Defence ministers from both sides met on Friday for a new round of talks in Addis Ababa to set up a buffer zone along their frontier.
Former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who chairs an African Union mediation panel, said the two had agreed to order their forces out of the demilitarised zone by March 14.
"D-day is March 10. The agreement calls for immediate orders (for withdrawal) to be issued within d-day plus four days," he told a news conference in the Ethiopian capital.
The two countries will finish withdrawing their troops from the demilitarised zone by April 5, according to a timetable agreed by both sides seen by Reuters.
The former civil war foes have made a number of agreements about border security in the past, but have failed to implement them.
After teetering on the brink of full-scale conflict in April with the worst border clashes since their split, the two countries agreed in September to set up a buffer zone, which could defuse tensions enough for the South to resume oil output.
But neither side had pulled its army back from the almost 2,000-km (1,200-mile) border due to the mistrust left over from one of Africa's longest civil wars.
Friday's talks were the first in nearly two months. Two meetings between Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and South Sudan's Salva Kiir in Addis Ababa in January failed to break the stalemate.
Animosity runs high between Bashir's government in Khartoum and his former foes up the Nile in Juba.
Nearly 2 million people died in the north-south civil war, which left South Sudan economically devastated and awash with guns.
Khartoum accuses Juba of backing rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-North) in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, two Sudan states bordering the South.
The SPLM-North, made up of fighters who sided with the South during the civil war, controls part of the Sudan side of the border, which complicates setting up the buffer zone.
South Sudan has denied supporting the rebels.
(Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by Alexander Dziadosz and Jon Hemming)
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/08/us-sudan-south-borders-idUSBRE92711H20130308
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Sudan, South Sudan agree to pull troops from demilitarised zone
(CNN) Friday 08 March 2013; 23:31 GMT (07:31 HKT) - Sudan and South Sudan signed an agreement Friday to soon withdraw their respective military forces from a demilitarised zone between the two African countries, officials from both nations said.
Signed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the deal was brokered by former South African President Thabo Mbeki. Defence ministers from both Sudan and South Sudan promised they'd implement the agreement later this month.
South Sudan became independent from Sudan in July 2011, following a popular referendum. But the two nations have remained at odds on some issues, including defining their borders and oil exports.
(Reporting by CNN Staff)
Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/03/08/world/africa/sudan-south-sudan-agreement/
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South Sudan opposition feuds as ruling SPLM meets
(Voice of America News) Thursday 07 March 2013 - The secretary general of the main opposition party in South Sudan, the SPLM-DC, has resigned, accusing the exiled chairman of his party of stoking divisions.
SPLM-DC Secretary General Sisto Olur Erista said party chair, Lam Akol, has encouraged tribalism in the party.
Akol, who went into exile after South Sudan became independent in July 2011, saying he felt his life was in danger, denied the charges in a telephone interview with VOA News from the Middle East.
As the SPLM-DC was riven by divisions, the ruling SPLM party's political bureau, the main decision-making body of the party, gathered for the first time since the country gained independence two years ago, to discuss changing the party's constitution and manifesto.
The last time the political bureau of the SPLM met was in April 2008, which was also the last time the party held elections.
SPLM Secretary General Pagan Amum told reporters before the closed-door politburo meeting that one thing to be discussed is how to help win over voters to the party.
The three-day meeting of the SPLM politburo is being chaired by South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, and comes ahead of an extraordinary convention of the SPLM, which is scheduled to be held next week.
Source: http://www.voanews.com/content/south-sudan-opposition-feud-ruling-splm-meets/1617088.html
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Interview: Khartoum's ruling NCP urges Juba to show political will to overcome differences
KHARTOUM, Wednesday 06 March 2013 (Xinhua) - Sudan's ruling National Congress Party (NCP) urged the South Sudanese government Wednesday to show the necessary political will to overcome the differences between the two countries ahead of their new round of negotiations.
"We are looking forward to an active political will on the part of our brothers in South Sudan to reach a comprehensive settlement for the issues of difference," said Ibrahim Ghandour, NCP official in charge of external relations, in an exclusive interview to Xinhua.
He noted that the negotiations, slated to resume in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Thursday [07 March], will follow up the implementation of what was agreed upon in September during the summit between the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and his Southern Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir Mayardit.
He explained that the two countries mainly divide on the affiliation of the Mile (14) area and bicker over the link between South Sudan's army and the 9th and 10th infantry divisions in Sudan's South Kordofan and Blue Nile States.
"Resolving these two issues will likely to lead to the implementation of all the other agreements including the establishment of the demilitarized zone, demarcation of the joint border and resumption of South Sudan's oil pumping and exporting via Sudan's territories," noted Ghandour.
He further said that the oil issue has already been agreed on, explaining that "we are only looking forward to implementing the security measures because without security, the oil exportation will not be possible. Security is the base of any successful economic cooperation between the two countries."
Ghandour expressed optimism over this round of talks, saying "I expect it to be more positive than the previous ones, but we are looking forward to an active will on the part of South Sudan's leadership."
"After the conclusion of the presidential meeting in September, they refused to implement the agreement regarding the Mile (14) area despite the fact that it was signed by President Salva Kiir," said Ghandour. "They also rejected the border agreement despite the fact that it was presented by the technical committee to the two presidents who signed it."
That said, Ghandour reiterated the NCP's commitment to what was agreed on with the south.
The African Union mediation, led by Thabo Mbeki, recently urged Sudan and South Sudan to resume their talks.
He urged the two countries to implement what they have agreed on and fulfill their commitments, warning them against any unjustified delay.
Mbeki is also expected to ask the two countries' presidents to meet on the sidelines of the forthcoming African Union summit in Addis Ababa, since recent rounds of talks between Khartoum and Juba have ended without any progress.
On Sept. 27, Sudan and South Sudan signed a package of agreements on various issues during a presidential summit in the capital of Ethiopia.
Witnessed by the members of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan, the two sides inked three deals on cooperation, security and post-secession matters. However, the signed agreements did not tackle the issues of Abyei and border demarcation.
(Editor: yan)
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-03/07/c_132213922.htm
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Sudan, South Sudan to resume security talks in Addis Ababa Thursday
KHARTOUM, Wednesday 06 March 2013; 17:10:32 (Xinhua) - Meetings of the joint political and security committee between Sudan and South Sudan are to resume on Thursday [07 March] in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa after failing to resume by mid of last February, Khartoum's Al-Intibaha daily reported Wednesday.
"The political and security committee of Sudan and South Sudan will resume its meetings in Addis Ababa on Thursday with the participation of the two countries' defence ministers," the report said.
"Khartoum is adherent to its proposal according to the security agreement signed by the two countries," the paper quoted a security source in the committee as saying, noting that the Sudanese government delegation has left for Addis Ababa.
However, until Tuesday Juba has not yet submitted its proposals to the African committee of experts regarding the border differences, the report said.
It added that the African Union mediation mechanism on the outstanding issues between the two countries was expected to present a negotiating document to Sudan's delegation concerning the negotiation with the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)/northern sector.
Head of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel on Sudan (AUHIP) Thabo Mbeki has recently called on Sudan and South Sudan to resume the negotiations with the participation of what he termed as key players.
Mbeki expressed hope that the coming round of negotiations between Khartoum and Juba would be successful.
On September 27 last year, Sudan and South Sudan signed a package of agreements on various issues during a presidential summit in the capital of Ethiopia.
Witnessed by the AUHIP members, the two sides inked three deals on cooperation, security and post-secession matters.
However, the signed agreements did not tackle the issues of Abyei and border demarcation.
Though months elapsed since the two sides have signed the cooperation agreement, yet they failed to implement it on the ground.
(Editor: Sha Sha)
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2013-03/06/c_132213397.htm
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Sudan delegate: UN Security Council supports Sudan position
KHARTOUM, Friday 08 March 2013 (Sudan Vision Daily) - Representative of the Sudan to the UN, Ambassador Dafallah Al-Haj Ali said that the assurances of the UNSC sanctions team that the South government harbouring the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and the presence of SPLA forces in a number of Sudanese locations considered the first document issued by the UN and matches what demanded by the Sudan to the Government of the State of South Sudan to lift her hand on the armed movements and rebels support.
Ambassador Ali said that the report of the Sanctions Committee in this regard is as a result of the complaints that have been provided by Sudan's mission to the Security Council about the excesses of Juba government and its support for the rebels. He revealed that Sudan's mission will ask the Security Council to take clear action to pressure on the South government to stop its support of the rebel movements.
On the other hand, the government considered that the report of the UN that JEM has a military base in South Sudan was a declaration of what was confirmed by Sudan that the Government of South Sudan harbours a number of Sudanese armed movements, including SPLM-N.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Abu Bakr Mohamed Al-Amin said, in a press statement, that the report represents an evidence from an international body, which cannot be accused of bias for Sudan.
He added that Sudan has been calling on Juba to refrain from hosting armed movements fighting the Sudanese government, as well as disengagement between it and the SPLM-N, according agreements signed between the two countries.
(Reporting by Staff Writer)
Source: http://news.sudanvisiondaily.com/details.html?rsnpid=220261
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Postscript by the Editor of SUDAN WATCH
On March 01, 2013 Russia assumed the rotating Presidency of the UN Security Council.
The main theme of Russian presidency will be Afghan reconciliation.
Russian presidency will focus on problems of Middle East and further efforts of the Quartet to accomplish all-encompassing regional reconciliation. The UN SC work on reconciliation Sudan and Southern Sudan will be continued.
The Security Council will consider the situation in Southern Sudan and the activity if the deployed there UN peacekeeping mission.
Issues of the activity of the UN SC Commissions for Iran sanctions, for Somalia and Eritrea will be touched upon.
Full story at: http://www.thepresidentpost.com/?p=25942
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