Sigh of relief over new Sudan unity govt

afrol News, 16 June – Despite a global rejection of Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, the international community is relieved Mr al-Bashir’s party and the SPLM of South Sudan managed to agree on a renewed unity government in Khartoum.

President al-Bashir already on Monday announced the composition of the new government, which was sworn in today in Khartoum, two weeks after general elections were held in both halves of Sudan.

The forming of a new unity government after these elections forms part of the 2005 peace accord that ended the country’s north-south civil war. Despite continued distrust between north and south and rebel warfare in both halves of the country, a renewed unity government was necessary to go through with the next, difficult step op the peace process.

These are next year’s referenda, which probably will lead to full independence for South Sudan and will decide which border provinces will remain in Sudan or go to the new nation.

The peaceful and orderly announcement of a new Sudanese unity government therefore was strongly welcomed by the international community. This is despite the fact that the government is led by President al-Bashir, who is charged by crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Along with others, the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan (UNMIS) today congratulated Sudan’s north-south parties on the formation of the new government. UNMIS voiced hope that the new Sudanese government “will persevere in its resolve for achieving a stable and durable peace.”

UNMIS further called for “credible referenda” to be carried out in South Sudan and Abyei, which are meant to be the final phase of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

The UN mission today also underlined the need for “realising the popular consultations” in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states. Contrary to Abyei, referenda are not to be held in these two border states, and observers fear the vague “popular consultations” phrasing could lead to open conflict here.

Sudan’s new government, UNMIS said, “shoulders the historic responsibility of implementing the CPA during the final year of the interim period.” The mission said it was committed to help the parties during the “coming crucial period for the people of Sudan.”

The formation of Sudan’s new government comes two months after the holding of historic presidential and parliamentary elections, the first of their kind in Sudan in 24 years.

By staff writer