Southern Sudan holds border conference ahead of independence

The five state governors met with county commissioners, local chiefs, Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) representatives and peace organisations in an effort to deal with the contentious border between northern and southern Sudan.

In cooperation with Concordis International, the workshop was chaired by Pagan Amum, the GoSS minister responsible for implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended decades of civil war and includes stipulations about Sudan’s north-south border.  

John Luk Jok, speaking to reporters.John Luk Jok, the GoSS legal affairs minister who co-chaired the gathering, defined border disputes as some of the outstanding issues” in the run-up to Southern Sudan’s independence, which takes effect on 9 July.

The authorities discussed strategies for establishing peaceful relations between northern Sudan and Western Bar El-Ghazal, Northern Bar El-Ghazal, Unity and Warrap States, all of which lie on the border with the north.

Related subjects on the agenda included border security, pastoral activities, migration and cross-border economic ties.

The workshop was facilitated by Concordis International, a British non-governmental organisation working in post-conflict regions.

Mande Gardner of Concordis International.It’s very important that the governments of North-South Sudan consider how they will manage the relationship across the border in a way that will reflect the concerns and the needs of the communities living within these borders,” said Mande Gardner, Concordis Sudan Deputy Country Director.

Workshop participants included experts from West Africa and the European Union.

Unresolved border disputes in Sudan lie at the heart of many of Sudan’s recurring humanitarian emergencies. According to the UN, violent attacks, looting and other threats to security in border areas have displaced nearly 100,000 civilians in recent weeks. These figures include Southern Kordofan, Unity State, and Abyei, where nearly 100 people were killed since the northern military seized the region last month.

Ever since January’s referendum, in which an overwhelming majority of Southern Sudanese voted to secede from the north, violence has erupted in states lying on the north-south border.

Governors of five southern states met with comissioners and international partners.Although Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir had promised to recognise the south’s independence, he said he would revoke his pledge if Abyei is named in the southern constitution as part of the future South Sudan.

The official status of the oil-rich region is yet to be determined since a concurrent referendum planned for January was shelved.

Abyei was also the subject of a recent meeting in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, between President al-Bashir and the Southern Sudanese president, Salva Kiir.

To many observers who fear Khartoum is attempting to annex parts of the south before independence, escalating border conflicts represent dangerous catalysts that could result in another war.
 
Participants at the border workshop said they hope to stave off future border disputes before they have a chance to escalate.