Degrees of Separation
We are only a few days away from January 9th 2011, the date of South Sudan Referendum according to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) of 2005. The referendum will decide whether Sudan will remain a unified country or will be divided into two countries: South and North. This day will have many implications on the lives of both the Southerners and the Northerners. Some of the Southerners who live in the North and vice versa are already demanding to have a dual nationality in case of separation, and some are demanding to have ‘the four liberties’ which include the freedom of movement, residence, work and possession. Some others are wondering about the possibility of reuniting the two halves in the future.
At the same time, some political leaders stressed the urgent need to settle the people’s situations and how they will coexist and deal with each other regardless of the referendum results. Ateem Garang, an SPLM leader and parliament Deputy Chairperson explained in a previous interview that he will stay in the North even if the South has broken off. \"It is necessary to develop an impeccable scenario for unity, in case it continued because the old situation is not acceptable”, he said in a statement to Alwan, and in case of separation, strong ties should be maintained between the North and the South\".
In case of separation, strong ties should be maintained between the North and the South.
But what about the separation? It will be just a political one where a lot of things remain in common between the two halves, so a full separation is imaginary and implausible\" says Garang. He bets particularly on the economic ties because the Nile crosses the South to the North, and waters, pastures and gum trees are spread over the two parts. \"Economic ties will remain. It is not acceptable, for example that the North imports oil from other countries while it is produced in the South\" he added. Garang believes that an economic integration based on clear political, legal and administrative principles is a possible option in both scenarios and that divorce can\'t be catholic. The Sudanese currency, for example, is used in the South and they can\'t simply burn it after the separation, even if the South issued a new currency, certain aspects will remain in place.”
For his part, Ammar Amon, an SPLM leader and head of the Transportation Committee in the parliament, believes that \"the Sudanese people in the North, South, West and East have lived for a long time as a unified nation and the self determination referendum is just one aspect of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and the constitutional arrangements\". He further explained that \"the referendum doesn\'t necessarily mean the end of the relations between the South and North, there are social and cultural ties which are not linked to politics and these constitutional arrangements won\'t stop people communicating with each other. In case of separation, the South or the North governments can\'t separate these lengthy borders with barbed wire or by building a Berlin Wall because there are tribes which straddle the border. Separation won\'t interrupt their intertwining, and there will be social communication and commercial interests which tie the people in the two halves no matter what the governments decide\" Amon disclosed.
Joint commttees to deal with sensitive post-referendum issues
In this context, joint committees between the National Congress and the SPLM were formed to discuss and handle after-referendum issues such as nationality, debts, oil, international agreements etc. It is proposed to award dual nationalities to the Southerners who live in the North and vice versa. \"It is the best way to maintain the old relations between the North and the South. In case of separation, the intimate relations will serve as a good background to reuniting Sudan\" Amon said, commenting on these proposals. The joint committees are expected to study the situations of the Southerners who live and own land and properties in the North and who have already integrated with the Northerners and vice versa.
For more informationa around the CPA and all relevant documents please have a look at the Sudan Electionnaire.
On his part, Abbas Khidre, one of the National Congress leaders said: \"although the referendum is approaching, it is still too early to discuss how to deal with the North Southerners and the South Northerners\". He also pointed out that there would be a transitional period of six month in case of separation to settle different issues. \"We hope Sudan will remain a unified country, but if there is insistence on separation, it won\'t be a heresy because many countries have done the same. Such issues will be discussed in time by competent committees\" he added. The future relations between the two halves will be \"firm and strong\", he affirmed, \"there will be economic, political and logistic coordination and cooperation because the two halves need each other. The South should be a strong sovereign country not a weak one\". Dr. Ismail Al-Haj Musa, Deputy Speaker and a legal authority, said that the matter is twofold: legal and social. \"The Southerners will be legally considered subjects of a separate country and foreigners who will be dealt with according to specific conditions and regulations”, Musa explained. From a humane perspective, \"they won\'t be dealt with like other foreigners because they have lived in one country for centuries. So, there will be exceptions in dealing with them and they will be given some affordable facilitations\" he added. Musa has called for activating ‘the four liberties’ debate. This issue could help relieve stress and facilitate communication between the two parts in case of separation,” he explained.
