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From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon May 09 2011 - 07:59:42 EDT
http://www.sudantribune.com/Eritrean-president-slams-the,38832 Monday 9
May 2011 Eritrean president slams the separation of Sudan into two states
May 8, 2011 (KHARTOUM) – The Eritrean president Isaias Afewerki criticized
the split of Sudan into two states saying that it was a result of "political
blunders".
In an interview with the pro-government Al-Shorooq TV, Afewerki said that
Eritrea worked for Sudan’s unity over the last twenty years emphasizing that
breaking up its territory into blocks may cast a shadow on the fate of the
state which has seen a quantum leap in the areas of development.
Afewerki added that separation of the south was the inevitable result of
political blunders and international intervention that affected the region.
He urged Sudanese people to preserve the unity of the remaining land.
Southern Sudanese voted in January to separate from the north and form a new
nation, a referendum promised to them as part of a 2005 peace deal which
ended the decades of civil war.
But many countries in the region have expressed unhappiness with the breakup
of Sudan saying that it could set a precedent in the continent and trigger
regional instability.
Afewerki also warned against the "internationalization" of the Darfur crisis
stressing that it will only complicate the situation. He pointed out that
the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) signed in Abuja five years ago came through
U.S. and international support but did not solve the problem and "failed
miserably".
"Are the Sudanese people unable to resolve the crisis themselves?" he said .
"I do not see the need for internationalization because it could lead the
region ultimately to the same fate of South Sudan."
The insurgency in Darfur by African rebels has commanded unprecedented
international attention and sparked a humanitarian emergency which claimed
300,000 lives and drove more than 2 million people from their homes
according to UN estimates.
The Qatar-hosted peace talks have been delayed by rebel divisions and
continued military operations on the ground.
(ST
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