The UNSC and both parties to the CPA agreed on Full, Timely Implementation of CPA
The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed between the SPLM and the NCP in the Sudan had faced problems arising from the two parties’ disagreement on a range of issues related to the referenda slated to be held in January. Questions were being raised as to whether the referenda would indeed be held as scheduled and whether the CPA would in fact be implemented as planned. The rhetoric of some leaders from both sides was not helping either.
The issue of full and timely implementation of Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement was the subject of debate in the UN Security Council during its 6425th meeting. Emphasizing that the situation in Sudan represented one of the most urgent challenges facing the Security Council, the 15-member body, convening at ministerial level, underlined that full and timely implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), including the holding of referenda on the self-determination of Southern Sudan and the status of Abyei, was essential to national as well as regional peace and stability. The Council underlined the importance of making rapid progress on a way forward for the Abyei referendum, on outstanding CPA issues, and on resolving critical post-referendum questions in a peaceful, mutually beneficial manner, including borders, security, citizenship, debt, assets, currency and natural resources. It also underlined the need for the parties to promote calm and ensure that the rights, safety and property of all in Sudan, including southerners in the North and northerners in the South, would be respected whatever the outcome of the referenda.
As United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reiterated during the meeting, the coming months are likely to be difficult for the people of Sudan and the international community engaged there. He further noted that the referendum would have the potential to change Sudan’s future and send “shockwaves” through the region, while urging the parties to recognize that the vision of a new Sudan outlined in the CPA remained as valid today as it had been half a decade ago.
He also noted that the start of voter registration in Southern Sudan was a clear indication that the referendum is indeed on track. He also added that ensuring it’s being conducted in an orderly fashion, and the acceptance by the Sudanese people of its outcome required that the process be credible and transparent, and one reflecting the aspirations of the population.
According to President Thabo Mbeki, Chairman of the AU’s High Level Implementation Panel on Sudan, who addressed the meeting via video link, the two parties to the CPA had agreed to ensure a free and fair referendum and committed themselves to respect the outcome. Negotiations on post-referendum arrangements had been launched and the parties had engaged on issues of security, borders, citizenship, oil and water resources, currency matters, assets and liabilities, as well as international treaties and agreements. The agreement of the two parties will go a long way in laying to rest the lingering doubts regarding the holding of the referenda as per the schedule.
Representatives of the parties to the CPA did also address the meeting. Both Ali Ahmed Karti, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sudan, and Pagan Amum, Secretary-General of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), expressed their commitment to implementing the CPA, including holding the referendum. According to Mr. Karti, the referendum is a commitment that is to be honoured and he expressed his government’s willingness to honour it. He also added that the decision to allow the South its right to self-determination was among the more daring decisions taken in Africa. He renewed the Government’s commitment to hold the referendum as scheduled and to accept the results, whether in favour of unity or secession. As for progress towards a framework agreement for the North and South, he said an historic accord had been reached on the 15th November on strategic issues, notably a determination not to return to war.
Mr. Amum on his part expressed the strong desire of the people and Government of Southern Sudan for a peaceful and collaborative relationship between the South and the North - a relationship that benefits and protect the two peoples. Even though the people of Southern Sudan may choose to secede, he said that they should always remain neighbours and that they had no choice but to be good neighbours. He also reassured that no Northern Sudanese rights would be violated or activities obstructed, regardless of the outcome of the referendum. He then expressed his hope and demand that the rights and livelihoods of Southern Sudanese in the North be treated in exactly the same way.
The UK’s foreign minister Mr. William Hague, who convened the ministerial-level meeting, said the global community must be ready to work beyond the referendum on the long-term issues affecting each side. He disclosed that the United Kingdom had taken the lead role in handling Sudan’s international debt while also pointing out the vital role the African Union was playing in helping the North and South bridge their differences. As we have indicated previously, the failure of the many attempts to bring together the two parties in search of an amicable solution was a source of concern for the international community at large and the AU and IGAD in particular. As a country sharing borders with the two sides, Ethiopia has also been in the forefront of the efforts to bring the two parties together. Ethiopia believes that the timely implementation of the CPA is imperative to ensure sustainable peace in the country and also in the entire region. Obviously, lack of peace in Sudan will have far reaching repercussions not only for the country but for the entire region. It also shares the UN Security Council’s position that the full and timely implementation of the CPA is essential to national as well as regional stability. It is with this in mind that Ethiopia received the new development as a step forward in the right direction while renewing its commitment to remain engaged with all stakeholders to ensure the full and timely implementation of the CPA.