Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) - “We are worried about the fact that the letter and the spirit of the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) is losing its strength among the main signers, as well as among its supporters and those who contributed in making this historic event possible.” This is what the Bishops of Sudan are saying, in expressing their concern for the slow manner in which the CPA is taking effect. The document was signed in Nairobi (Kenya) in January 2005, between the government in Khartoum and the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement, placing an end to the over 20-year-long war in South Sudan.
The Bishops have given their opinion at the end of their Plenary Assembly, which was held November 4-15 in Yambo (South Sudan). In their meeting, the Bishops examined the main questions that affect society on various levels. Among these are the family and the consequences of the civil war. The Bishops affirmed that the war has wounded social relationships among the people, thus contributing to the breakdown of family values. Only through prayer and a strengthening of their relationship with God will the people of Sudan be able to rebuild their country and achieve lasting peace.
The Peace Accord, which gave life to an autonomous administration in South Sudan, ruled by former SPLM guerrillas (also present in the central government in Khartoum), calls for a referendum in 2011: the people of South Sudan will be called to vote on whether it will continue forming a part of Sudan or if it will become an independent State.
In the meantime, a series of common questions need to be addressed, concerning the central government and the provisional autonomous administration in South Sudan, from the organization of air and sea traffic to the distribution of oil profits, from social and retirment funding to the politics of Sudan’s regional central bank. All the issues concern the two parties and are yet to be resolved. These dificulties take their toll on the area and create dissatisfaction and tension.
Moreover, both the central government and the South's administration continue storing up arms. In recent months, there has also been a conflict between North and South Sudan over control of Abyei, an oil-rich region, however thanks to an agreement it was immediately resolved (see Fides 9/6/2008). The two administrations now say that there are no areas of dispute that could lead to another war, and that the storing-up of arms is part of the normal process for placing the arsenals up-to-date. South Sudan claims to be arming itself only to guarantee internal security, which is threatened by the presence of Ugandan rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA).
The case of the hijacked Ukrainian cargo ship, the “Faina,” in the hands of Somali pirates since late September, has increased fears that South Sudan acquire more heavy weaponry (see Fides 2/10/2008). Among the ship's cargo were 33 tanks. Kenya affirms that they are the buyers, however there are strong suspicions that the final destination of the cargo is South Sudan. (LM) (Agenzia Fides 19/11/2008)
