Addis Ababa : Southern Sudan expresses misgivings about the North

According to Aerop Akul the lack of probity and accountability threatens their agreement

ICC Note

The majority of South Sudanese are Christians as opposed to the Muslim majority north Sudanese. The conflict between the two resulted in killings of millions of South Sudanese. Despite the signing of agreement that brought the conflict to an end, tension remains between the two mainly due to the failure of Islamist northern Sudanese officials to honor terms of their agreement.

By Desalegn Sisay

06/11/2009 Sudan (Afrik.com)-In 2005 a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed between the Southern Sudan Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Republic of Sudan . The CPA was aimed at giving a large degree of autonomy to Southern Sudan and bringing a 22 year-old war to an end. The CPA also included a deal to give the southern territory 50 per cent of its oil revenues. Southern Sudan has recently expressed its misgivings over the oil agreement.

In a recent interview with The Reporter, an Ethiopian newspaper, Aerop Akul mission head in Addis Ababa of Regional Co-operation Ministry of the Government of Southern Sudan said the CPA has provided hope for the people of Southern Sudan . According to him, this is the first time Southern Sudanese have their own government to enable them express their feelings. It has also contributed to the massive return of residents displaced during the long wars.

Southern Sudan, like Ethiopia — east of its border,— is a predominantly Christian region. Northern Sudan is predominantly Arab and Muslim. Referred to as the second Sudanese civil war, the 22 year-old war (1983-2005) preceded a first Sudanese war (1955-1972), which also lasted almost two decades. The Southern region is known to produce over 80 per cent of all Sudanese oil, which contributes to about 70 per cent of the totality of Sudanese exports.

The South and North divide has often been defined as a religious (Islam and Christianity) conflict. According to Southern Sudan it is simply a question of basic human rights, not religious.