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Sudanese Government and SPLM Set Peace Agreement Date

The Sudanese government and the country's main southern rebel group will sign a peace agreement Jan. 10 in Kenya to end more than 20 years of civil war, a senior government official said Saturday. [LA Times]

The "conflict", often consisting of the northern Islamic government's military bombing southern Sudan villages and churches, claimed more than 2 million lives, primarily from war-induced famine and disease [in the south].

I hope and pray that Sudan will enter into a peaceful period although there remains skepticism for two reasons. First, the U.N. is heavily involved. After the recent and ongoing oil-for-food scandal and the reports of widespread sexual abuse in the Congo the organization has very little credibility (in my opinion). In fact, even after the Khartoum government's human rights violations were well known, the U.N. elected the government of Sudan to be a watchdog for human rights [more].

Second, the north Sudanese governement cannot be trusted. It engages in slavery, has committed genocide, and breaks peace agreements. Follow the news and almost every week you will find reports similar to the following article from the Scottsman that was published today:

Just five days earlier, on Monday last week, the government had agreed a ceasefire. It said it was ordering its troops in three areas of Darfur to step down. But on Friday, the reality was very different.

"As we are speaking, they are shooting at our base... near the border with Chad," Khamis claimed. "They are attacking us and the Sudanese Liberation Army [SLA]," he added, referring to Darfur’s main rebel group.

Two of his group were wounded. They in turn managed to capture an army truck. But all hopes of a fragile peace breaking out in this blighted and forgotten part of Africa were once again blown away.

It is not the first time that a ceasefire has been broken before the ink is dry. The first was declared in April. Another was declared in November, and was broken by the SLA less than two weeks later.

However, it may be the conflict in Dafur coupled with the fear of sanctions (opposed by China and Russia) that has motivated the embattled and now fragile government of Sudan to seek peace with the south.

Posted by tim at December 26, 2004 5:08 AM

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