Det er Sudan og så Sydsudan, som får 98 pct. af alle indtægter fra sin olie, men ikke kan eksportere den gennem Sudan, det gamle fjendeland i nord – og Sydsudan som Danmark har lovet næsten en kvart milliard kroner i nødhjælp på kort tid.
ADDIS ABABA, 3 January 2013 (UN News Service): The leaders of Sudan and South Sudan are to meet to address disputes that brought them close to war following the South’s independence in 2011.
A meeting Friday between Sudan’s President Omar Al-Bashir and South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir will take place in Ethiopia – hosted by that country’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn – with the facilitation of Thabo Mbeki, the chair of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP).
Tensions over oil and security brought them to the brink of war last April. Western governments have urged both sides immediately to withdraw their forces from what is intended to be a demilitarised border zone.
In September, the two Presidents agreed to set up a demilitarised buffer zone, but some parts of the deal – such as resolving an ongoing dispute over oil – have yet to be implemented.
Kampen om olien og national prestige
One of the most critical issues has been the halt in oil production in the land-locked South due to a disagreement over pipeline fees.
The oil is exported northwards to Sudan where it can be refined. But since the shutdown of operations, neither country has been able to reap any economic benefit from the oil.
At the September meeting, South Sudan agreed to resume the production of oil but this has not yet happened.
Another point of contention is the flashpoint region of Abyei, which is claimed by both sides. It lies on their border and is inhabited both by nomadic herdsmen who are loyal to Sudan and other groups who are closely linked to the South.
The final status of Abyei is one of the outstanding issues of the so-called Comprehensive Peace Agreement which helped bring an end to the conflict between Sudan and South Sudan, before the latter’s independence.
South Sudan, where people chiefly follow the Christian faith or traditional indigenous religions, gained independence after more than two decades of civil war with the mainly Muslim north.
Opsang fra FN
“The UN Secretary-General encourages both Presidents to address decisively all outstanding issues between Sudan and South Sudan regarding security, border demarcation and the final status of the Abyei Area, to urgently activate agreed border security mechanisms, and implement all other agreements signed on 27 September 2012,” Mr. Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson said Thursday.
“The United Nations stands ready to support the parties in implementing their agreements and to assist in the resolution of all remaining disputes,” he added.
South Sudan became the world’s newest country on 9 July 2011. Its birth was the culmination of a six-year peace process which helped bring an end to the long-running conflict between South Sudan and Sudan, which it was formerly a part of.
In late September last year, the two countries’ leaders met in Ethiopia to finalize agreements on issues being discussed under talks – held under the auspices of the AUHIP – which were designed to enable them to fulfil their obligations under a so-called roadmap aimed at easing tensions, facilitating the resumption of negotiations on post-secession relations and normalizing relations between the two countries.
At the meeting, the two countries reached a key framework agreement for cooperation – particularly in security, the common border and economic relations.
Kilde: FNs Nyhedstjeneste
