©Sudan Tribune.

JUBA – The two signatories of the 2005 peace deal have agreed this week on the national “directive” to “persuade” the people of South Sudan to vote for unity in the upcoming referendum.

The Sudanese government led by the National Congress Party (NCP) and the former rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), agreed in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) to work together make unity attractive and to promote it before the referendum.

The agreement was signed following the swearing in to office of President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, the NCP chairman and his first deputy Salva Kiir Mayardit, who also chairs the SPLM. The document was duped as general directives for the programme of the next national government in the run up to the conduct of the referendum.

The four-point document was signed by the former minister of Foreign Affairs, Deng Alor Kuol, on behalf of the SPLM and signed on behalf of the NCP by the former spy chief, Salah Gosh, who was head of National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and formert Presidential Advisor on National Security.

In addition to the two parties committing themselves in the agreement to the directive of persuading southerners to vote for voluntary unity in the referendum, they equally commit themselves to the conduct of the referendum by 9th January, 2011.

“In accordance [with] the aforementioned commitments, the NCP and SPLM have agreed on the following general directives for the programme of the next government…implementation of the remaining provisions of the CPA in spirit of partnership and responsibility with the aim of contributing to persuade the people of Southern Sudan for voluntary unity,” the agreement reads in part.

The two parties also agreed to improve institutional arrangements and carry out development in the South for the next seven months in addition to working to implement a media campaign with the aim to popularize the CPA throughout the country.

The agreement came as a surprise to many political analysts and observers who have criticized it as the work of the NCP to divide the SPLM leadership on the issues to do with self-determination and its two options of unity and secession.

“This agreement is a betrayal of the people of South Sudan, and in nutshell it was simply an understanding to rig the referendum in favor of unity,” said one observer.

The agreement also committed the two parties to respect the choice of the people of South Sudan in the referendum.

Some senior SPLM officials had earlier warned that there should not be any directive or campaign about unity vis-à-vis separation, and should therefore be left to the people of South Sudan to decide for themselves whether or not unity was made attractive for the last five years.

However, NCP pledged to run the referendum and respect its outcome but said it would work hard to maintain the unity of Sudan and vowed that it would defeat separatists within the SPLM. President Bashir after his elections victory publicly stated that his next campaign would be on the referendum to persuade southerners to vote for unity.

Also, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha who negotiated the CPA on the behalf of the NCP would reside in the South to work for unity and supervise the implementation of projects to be implemented by the national government there.

“Conduct of popular consultation in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states in accordance with the provisions of the CPA and Popular Consultation Act, 2009″ …and “Timely conduct of Abyei Referendum as per the CPA and Abyei Referendum Act, 2009, in a free and fair environment and under the national and international monitoring” were part of the signed commitment.

On Darfur which is the third point of the agreement with only one short sentence, it says the two parties committed themselves to “Expeditious completion of a just and comprehensive political settlement in Darfur”.

On democratic transformation in the country the document says the two parties shall strengthen respect of human rights, foster supremacy of constitution and rule of law and continue progress towards strengthening democratic transformation.

(ST)

Source : Sudan Tribune