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From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Mon Oct 18 2010 - 17:35:49 EDT
Sudanese Divided On Peacekeepers On North South Border
Douglas Mpuga 18 October 2010
The National Congress Party (NCP) has totally rejected the UN offer of
moving peacekeepers to the border area, said Alfred Taban, the managing
editor of the Khartoum Monitor, an independent English-language newspaper in
Sudan.
The Sudanese government has objected to a proposal to move United Nations
peacekeepers to the tense border between the north and south ahead of a
referendum on independence for the south.
A senior Sudanese official said that the UN would need Khartoum's approval
to move troops to the region to avoid violence ahead of the January
referendum that could see the break-up of Africa's biggest nation.
Salah Gosh, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir's security adviser, has
reportedly said troops cannot be deployed without the consent of Khartoum.
U.N. officials said last week South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit,
fearing war preparations by the North, had requested the reinforcements.
The National Congress Party (NCP) has totally rejected the UN offer of
moving peacekeepers to the border area, said Alfred Taban, the managing
editor of the Khartoum Monitor, an independent English-language newspaper in
Sudan.
He said the only way the Sudan government can accept the deployment is if it
is sanctioned by the UN Security council or if there is a strong backing for
the deployment from the United States.
The deployment, he said, would help although it cannot prevent disaster.
"The border is very long and it is almost impossible to place UN troops
along the entire border.
He said there is real fear among the people about the outcome of the
referendum. "The fear is real. Many southern Sudanese in Khartoum are
parking their belongings and are heading south, even if they have to walk."
Taban noted that many students have abandoned their university studies and
have started to go south using their money meant for food for
transportation.
He said many people are resigned to the possibility of the South seceding
after the referendum but there are some hardline Islamists in the north who
say they will not accept secession.
"They will want to impose unity which is likely to trigger more problems,"
he said.
Taban said that the fact that preparations for the referendum are behind
schedule is causing a lot of apprehension among south Sudanese because they
think the delay is deliberate.
He said the Abyei issue may actually turn out to be of more concern than the
referendum in the south. Both Southern Sudan and the oil-rich Abyei border
region are to hold a referendum on January 9 on whether they want to break
with the north.
"Khartoum has made it clear that they want everybody who claims to be
inhabitants of Abyei to participate in the referendum."
On the other hand, he said, the government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) says the
Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) says the citizens of Abyei are the nine
Dinka kingdoms (Dinka Ngok) and they will not accept any other person to
participate in the referendum.
"This is a serious issue," said Taban, adding "unless there is serious
dialogue between the NCP and SPLM there is likely to be a problem."
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