Extending Elelction Date In Sudan Will Have Dominos Effect On CPA

Extending Elelction Date In Sudan Will Have Dominos Effect On CPA
Thursday January 8th 2009

The Vice President of the republic of Sudan and the President of the government of Southern Sudan General Salva Kiir Mayardit told a gathering at a dinner in Washington that, extending the 2009 election would jeopardize referendum in South Sudan.

At a Congressional dinner hosted by Ted Dange and Roger Winter at Mayflower hotel in Washington DC, the dinner was attended by about fifty people many of whom are dignitaries from different countries who attended the signing of the CPA in Nairobi Kenya.

Amonth them was, Heldan Joshnson Norway representative at the UN, Congressman Ronal Pyne, Kjell Hodneboe of Norway, and many other dignitaries.

The dinner was hosted to celebrate the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed four years ago. President Kiir reiterates his words of gratitude and appreciations to President Bush and his administration for keeping the South Sudan problem at heart. Kiir told group of dignitaries, Sudanese, and long time supporters of the struggle that, postponing the election will have dominos effects on the implementation of the CPA.

However, some are not so keen to conduct the elections in July. Given the fact that rainy season began during the month of May to October, a season chosen during negotiations to hold the first election, many are concerns that conducting the election in July will limit people’s participations in most part of Southern Sudan where the people will physically elects their chosen candidates.

On the other hand, according to the President, If the election is push forward to dry season, everything else that comes after the election such as the referendum in Southern Sudan, referendum in Abyei, and the popular consultation of Nuba Mountains all will miss the date lines and that has grave consequences. In respect to the other events line up after the election, it’s imperative for people of Southern Sudan to keep the election date the way it was scheduled.

Border Demarcations:

When the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was negotiated four years ago, the six years interim period seemed too long, but four years have passed before we all know. Now, we’re celebrating the fourth anniversary of the CPA this year; however, it’s without doubt that the two parties have much to do in implementing the CPA.

“One of the problems with the NCP is, if you say this is a color white, they will say no, the color is red.” President said. Every average person in the Sudan knows where the border between south and north Sudan located. It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist nor some experts both from out-side and inside Sudan demarcate the border.

In spite of the fact that, the NCP has lacked behind in implementing major contentious issues of the CPA, It’s apparent that Juba has been pushed to the limit but we will not go to war under my watch President Kiir said. However, we must make sure north-south border is fully demarcated, census result must be conventional to what South Sudanese understand reasonable. “Let those who like to fight start their fight, we don’t want war, but if instigated, we will depend ourselves.

President Mayadiit went ahead to assured the gathering that, corruptions will not be tolerated. Those venal officials who may attempt to embezzle or exercise illegal dealing with states funds will all be brought to justice. At the same time, he said, those who resorted in defaming the image of Southern Sudan on world wide web transmitting un found accusations and passing un researched facts from one person to anther will too be confront with real facts sometime when they show up in Southern Sudan. We have your written allegations anyone will confront you with your written paper and you will have to answer yourself.

Moreover, we have not given up in bringing peace in Darfur. But, for the Darfur leaders to achieve a long-lasting peace for their people, the leaders must reside where the people suffer. It’s ridiculous for Darfur leaders to think he/she leads his people while living in a rather comfortable place somewhere in the West and yet refuse to attend peace that could bring an end to the killings and raping.

You cannot claimed to represent neglected people while once does not even reside where the problem actually occur. We’ve successfully united 27 Darfur rebel factions in 2007. However, these factions dispersed back and form even more factions because we have no money to keep them united. If they can only unite to receive money, it will be impossible for anyone to keep them united because no one will be able to provide money for unity.

President Kiir flew to Boone, North Carolina to meet with one of the well known evangelical Church leader Franklin Graham whose church has been an instrumental to pressure American government in bringing about peace in the Sudan. The President arrived in Nairobi shortly at ten pm Kenyan local time. He will fly to South Sudan to attend the CPA celebration in Malakal, Upper Nile state.

Report Indicates Rise in GoSS Allocations, Drop in Central Government Returns

Report Indicates Rise in GoSS Allocations, Drop in Central Government Returns

Khartoum, 17 Dec. 08 (Sudan Vision) — The report presented by the head of the Allocation and Revenues Control Commission, Dr. Mohammed Osman Ibrahim, before the National Assembly yesterday indicated an increase in the allocations of the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) for 2008 along with a drop in the allocations of the federal government and northern states for the same period.
Ibrahim stated in his report that the rate of GoSS allocations stood at 19.1%, at an increase of 2.9% while allocations of the federal government amounted to 54%, posting a drop of 1.2% over the previous year. Allocations of the northern states rated 26.9%, registering a drop by 1.7%
The report in addition indicated a drop of 4.9% in the actual performance of the federal government during the first half of 2008 while GoSS performance scaled up to 10.7%, ascribing the increase to settlement of some of GoSS arrears for 2007. Ibrahim noted that total national revenues deposited in the national revenues fund reached 9.5 billion pounds for the three levels of government. The report on the other hand stated that actual performance of expenditure during the first half of 2008 amounted to 11,019.3 million pounds at a performance rate of 98.2%.

PASTORAL LETTER OF THE SUDAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS

“BE MESSENGERS OF PEACE”

PASTORAL   LETTER

OF
THE SUDAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS

TO   ALL   CHRIST’S FAITHFUL
AND PEACE-LOVING SUDANESE

YAMBIO, 15th NOVEMBER 2008

Table of Contents

1.   Greetings and Preamble………………………………
2.    The Current Situation…………………………………
2.1 Government of National Unity ………………………
2.2 The Government of South Sudan……………….……
3.  Exhortation and Message………………………………
3.1 To our Leaders…………………………………………
3.1.1 Darfur and Eastern Sudan Crises…………………
3.2 To all Sudanese Citizens………………………………
3.2.1 Obligation for Genuine Elections…………………..
3.2.2 Human Dignity………………………………………
3.2.3 Family………………………………………………..
3.2.4 Common Good and Private property………………
3.2.5 Call to Justice and Peace……………………………
3.2.6 Change of Attitude………………………………….
3.2.7 Appeal for Reconciliation…………………………..
3.2.8 Duties and Obligation as Believers…………………
3.2.9 Priests…………………………………………………
3.2.10 Religious in the consecrated life…………………..
3.2.11 Catechists…………………………………………..
3.2.12 To the International Community…………………
4. Call to prayer!…………………………………………………..

1.   Greetings and Preamble
Dear People of God in the Sudan,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Cor 1:3). “We give thanks to God always for all of you remembering you in our prayers unceasingly.” (1Thess. 1:2)
We, Bishops of the Sudan, in our annual plenary meeting in Yambio from 5th – 15th November 2008:  aware of the political and social situation in our country and cognisant of our obligation as religious leaders, are mindful of the words of St. Paul to Timothy:
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.  For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths.  But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an Apostle; fulfil your ministry. (2 Tim 4: 1-5)
Urged by this mandate, we, Bishops, write to you this message to highlight the situation of our country in the context of the interim period after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

2.    The Current Situation
The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement silenced the guns and the violence. It aroused hope and expectation in your hearts for a better future. We noted with great satisfaction and joy the beginning of stability, the beginning of the return of refugees and internally displaced people to their respective homelands, the reunion of families, the organisation of civil administration, the safe, free movement of peoples and the initiation of socio-economic development.
The Government of Sudan (GOS) and the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement / Army (SPLM/A), signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on 9th January 2005.
For years, the people of the Sudan lived in a situation of fear and hopelesseness. However, reason and mutual accommodation prevailed in the end. All the parties realized fully that the road is still a long one, that there would be great difficulties and that the only way forward was to come to peace.
It is our earnest hope that the implementation of the CPA will proceed promptly and without much contention. This of course requires from all Sudanese citizens continuous vigilance, mutual understanding, confidence and good faith. Besides this the Darfur Peace Agreement and the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement were signed but not honoured. There has to be an end to this abrogation of peace.
The paramount goal is to reach and construct permanent peace in the Sudan once and for all. To realize such a desired end, all Sudanese people, including their friends, must remain actively involved and engaged in support of the implementation of the CPA. This requires the building of bridges of confidence between them. This is a factor which will serve the rights and interests of all parties. Another important requirement is to create the right atmosphere to achieve meaningful progress, without mental restriction or dubious statements.
We have to look forward to the days of permanent peace with hope and optimism. We must remain confident that both the Southern and the Northern Sudanese people desire to live in justice, peace and dignity. We have suffered long enough from bloodshed and tension. We are entitled to a new era of peaceful co-existence. Let us all vow to turn a new page in the history of our troubled nation.
We wish to call special attention to the issues that we believe are important in the national debate in the future election campaign and in the years to come. These brief summaries do not indicate the depth and details of the positions we have taken in this regard in the documents cited in this pastoral letter
2.1.  Government of National Unity
While we commend the efforts of the Government of National Unity and the progress that has been made so far, we caution that the signing of any peace agreement is one aspect and its implementation is another. Due to many key items in the protocols which have not been honoured, we see that the CPA is mid-way progress as there remains great dissatisfaction which causes alarm and may lead to dangerous consequences. This is because of:
”    Non -implementation of National Reconciliation and healing process
”    Non-release of the results of the census
”    Delay in demarcation of North/South borders and the refusal of the National Congress Party to accept the report of the Abyei Boundary Commission (ABC).
”    Lack of full care, discipline and control of the military armed forces.
”    Inadequate repatriation process of the displaced persons from northern Sudan and Sudanese refugees from the neighbouring countries to their home areas.
”    The lack of serious consideration of the aspirations of the Nuba people
”    The deviation of resources earmarked for peace-building and development.
”    The deterioration in the political situation in Darfur and Eastern Sudan

2.2.  The Government of South Sudan
We appreciate the enormous work the Government of South Sudan has so far done in the field of security, reconstruction and construction. To rebuild a nation in a post-war situation is an enormous task and we encourage all the indigenous people to persevere in all efforts to lead the Sudanese people to a lasting peace.
In South Sudan, the Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile, the experience of the last three years shows serious challenges which include:
1.    Lack of clear vision on fundamental issues, for example: good governance, respect of human rights and the rule of law.
2.    Being far from the people and not listening attentively  enough to their voices
3.    Appointments to public offices without giving due consideration to experience and qualifications; tribalism and nepotism in employment and promotion.
4.    Inefficiency, corruption in some public offices and enormous waste of resources.
5.    The Government of South Sudan (GOSS) is not educating people enough to consider the option of self-determination as expressed in the CPA.
6.    The disturbing practice of sidelining and rejection of people who had remained in the Government controlled towns in North Sudan (who are considered somehow in the South as arabaized and collaborators with the Northerners) and those who had left the country for refuge, and yet contributed in various ways to the achievement of the CPA is really a serious issue to consider
7.    Lack of security and killings with impunity continue unabated in some parts of South Sudan, Nuba Mountains and Southern Blue Nile.
8.    Prolonged and ineffective negotiations between the Lord’s Resistance Army and the Uganda Government mediated by the Government of South Sudan and the United Nations.
9.    The violation of the sovereignty of the Sudan by the presence of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in South Sudan, particularly in Western Equatoria State, is a source of insecurity to the population.
10.    We highlight the insecurity caused by the Ambororo nomadic tribe in Western Equatoria State and Western Bahr El Ghazal State as being destructive to the indigenous people.
11.    Slow development in providing services in Education, Health and other social services is hindering the development of our people.
Aware of these negative aspects which prevail at present, it is difficult to envisage how the elections which are due to be held in July, 2009 and the Referendum scheduled for January, 2011, can take place with fairness and transparency if these issues are not addressed.

3.  Exhortation and Message
3.1. To our Leaders
We first address the leaders. Over recent years much has been demanded of the leadership, who showed an exemplary spirit of sacrifice and commitment during wartime. However, the expectations and hopes placed in you, the leaders after the signing of the CPA, have not been fully met and have even been seriously eroded. A sense of disappointment and dissatisfaction reigns at present.
We therefore call upon you, our leaders, to heed and respond to the cry of your people. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement has provided opportunities to reach a lasting peace in the Sudan. To miss these opportunities of God’s gift of peace is a betrayal of the trust of the people in Leadership.  Our thoughts and prayers go to the thousands of people who died in the struggle for Justice and Peace. Our hearts ache for the orphaned children, widows, and those maimed. We are preoccupied with the uncertainties of the future of our youth and the direction of our country.
It is on the basis of this trust, that we urge you, the leaders, to give clear answers to current issues, however complex and difficult they may be. You must always keep the human person at the centre of all national decisions. More particularly, St. Paul, the Apostle, cautions those called for service with these words: “For you were called for freedom, brothers. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’. But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.” (Gal. 5:13-15)
You have been appointed to be the servants of your brothers and sisters. To ‘minister’ means to serve and those who serve must be endowed with spiritual and moral values, be competent, accountable and transparent in rendering stewardship to the people entrusted to your care.  It is important to understand that your example and integrity reflect the way you render your service to your people.
As Government of South Sudan, much is expected to caution and help the people of South Sudan to exercise their rights to self-determination which are very well expressed in the CPA. The right to self-determination should not be condoned at the expense of making the option of  unity attractive. The people of South Sudan, Southern Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains must have all the freedom they need to help them make the correct choice in free conscience when the time will be right. We call on the Government of South Sudan to lead the people in having a thorough debate and sincere discussion on the pros and cons of self-determination.
There is greater need to foster the virtue of unity among the people of the Sudan in working for true peace. It is true to say that the CPA was achieved by the collective effort of every Sudanese inside or outside Sudan, including sympathisers and friends. We believe that it is our duty, and the duty of leaders of all parties, especially partners to the CPA, to pave the way and lead our people to the common destination of justice, peace, security and prosperity.
The presence of the LRA, the Ugandan rebels in Western Equatoria State in  South Sudan is disastrous in all aspects. The LRA continue to inflict untold atrocities to innocent people, for example: killings, abduction of children and women, rape, sexual enslavement, forced recruitment and large displacement of people. Why do these things continue to happen to our citizens without any effective intervention from the Government of South Sudan?
3.1.1.  Darfur and Eastern Sudan Crises
The reluctance of the government to address the Darfur and Eastern Sudan conflicts raises serious concerns in the minds of conscientious Sudanese citizens and tests the credibility of the government and armed groups. “Justice is both the aim and the intrinsic criterion of all politics.  Politics is more than a mere mechanism for defining the rules of public life:  its origin and its goal are found in justice, which by its very nature has to do with ethics.”  (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est, 2006, N. 28)
Today, in the wake of human rights abuse, the people of Darfur are faced with a humanitarian disaster of truly frightening proportions.   However, irrespective of where the balance of blame for the conflict lies, it is of the utmost importance that those, from whatever quarter, who have actively fomented the conflict and who are also guilty of human rights abuses must stop and bid for true peace.

3.2.  To all Sudanese citizens
We, your spiritual leaders, wish to address you, brothers and sisters, at this moment. Time is running out. We have a General Election in 2009 and a Referendum at the end of the Interim Period in 2011.  Your duty is to be informed and also be prepared about elections in order to be able to make the right choices. “Watch and pray that you may not fall into temptation.”  (Mt 26.41)

3.2.1.  Obligation for Genuine Elections
Elections are a time for debates, reflections and decisions about the leaders, policies, and values that will guide our nation. We urge our fellow citizens “to see beyond party politics, to analyze campaign rhetoric critically, and to choose your political leaders according to principles, not party affiliation or mere self-interest.”   We do not wish to instruct persons on how they should vote by endorsing or opposing candidates or parties. We hope that citizens will examine the position of parties and candidates on the full range of issues, as well as on their personal integrity and performance. We are convinced that a consistent ethic of life should be the moral guide from which to address issues in the political arena.
As we approach the elections of 2009 and the referendum in 2011, we face difficult challenges for our nation. Since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement our nation has experienced many positive aspects and many distressing realities of a post-war nature. We have moved from managing through institutions to sharing budgets, resources and power.  As Sudanese citizens and believers we need to share our values, raise our voices, and use our votes to shape a society that protects human dignity, promotes family life, pursues social justice, and practices solidarity. These efforts can strengthen our nation and renew our faith.
Our nation has been wounded. The prolonged miserable suffering of our masses and what followed have taught us that no amount of military strength or economic progress can truly guarantee security, prosperity and stability in Sudan. The most important challenges we face are not simply political, economic, or technological, but also ethical, moral and spiritual.
Persons with high academic qualifications but lacking credible spiritual and moral values are dangerous to society. Presently, the election and referendum will test us as citizens. Politics cannot be merely about ideological differences conflict, the search for partisan advantage, or political contributions. Politics should be about fundamental moral choices. How do we protect human life and dignity? How do we fairly share the blessings and burdens of the challenges we face? What kind of nation do we want to be? What kind of country do we want to shape?
The duty to vote with a well-formed conscience is a civic right and obligation which should never be tampered with through manipulation, bribery or threats, either openly or secretly. The government must ensure that the right mechanisms for running a just and orderly elections are in place.

3.2.2.  Human Dignity
For peace to last, it must be based on respect for the dignity and the rights of every person. The parties involved in the implementation of the CPA have to continuously join their efforts to build a Sudan for all Sudanese. It includes the protection of the right to life and the right to religious freedom. Today much is said about human rights, but it is often forgotten that they require a stable, not a relative and doubtful basis. The foundation of human rights should not be “human agreements,” but rather “man’s own nature and his inalienable dignity as a person created by God.” (Gen 2:27)

3.2.3.  Family
God created human beings in His own image and likeness (Gen.2:27), calling them to existence through love, calling them at the same time for love. God is love and in Himself He lives a mystery of personal loving communion. Creating the human race in His own image and continually keeping it in being, God inscribed in the humanity of man and woman the vocation, and thus the capacity and responsibility, of love and communion. Love is therefore the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being.
The protracted civil war in the Sudan has undermined our traditional family values. As a result it has caused separation of many families, broken marriages, many street children, emerging of alien cultures contrary to our traditional cultural values, abuse of alcohol, HIV/AIDS pandemic, mental health issues, laziness, too much dependency on family bread winners, lack of parental love for children, disobedience of children to their parents, irresponsible life-style, emergence of youth gangs and many others.
Considering all these challenges in families, we therefore call upon parents to take their parental role seriously, in married life and in the education of their children. Marriage and family should be supported and strengthened, not undermined. The God-given institution of marriage is a life-long commitment between a man and a woman. The family is the foundation of social life. The laws enacted by the government for the welfare of families and the protection of children need to be enforced.

3.2.4.  Common Good and Private Property
The political community perceives the common good when it seeks to create a human environment that offers citizens the possibility of truly exercising their human rights. The principle of ‘common good’ has three main components: (1) Respect for persons; (2) social welfare and (3) peace and security. The State, therefore, has to respect the fundamental human rights of each person. Secondly, it is within the demands of the common good that the state provides, institutes and supports infrastructure that promotes the social welfare of every person.  This is indeed the real implementation character of the CPA.
As political leaders and representatives of the people, you yourselves can give an important and effective example in this field. Decisive in this perspective is the presence in the heart of each one of us of an intense awareness for the common good. The teaching of the Second Vatican Council in this matter is very clear: “the political community … exists for the common good: this is its full justification and meaning and the source of its specific and basic right to exist” (Gaudium Et Spes. 74).
The constitution of our country guarantees all citizens the right to own property without discrimination or hindrances. The lack of protection of private properties has caused conflicts within society; as has land grabbing, cattle rustling and forced displacement in the areas of oil fields.  The government has a moral obligation to ensure that private properties are respected and, if confiscated, the people need to be compensated.

3.2.5.  Call to Justice and Peace
We are called to the service of our fellow men and women through the promotion of Justice and Peace in the Sudan. As Sudanese it is therefore our duty and responsibility to speak out on social justice in public life. It is our moral conviction to share our experience in serving the poor and vulnerable and to participate in the reconstruction of our nation.
Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, each person’s life and dignity must be respected. We believe that people are more important than things. The measure of every institution is determined by how it protects and respects the life and dignity of the human person. As a recent Vatican statement points out, “The Church recognizes that while democracy is the best expression of the direct participation of citizens in political choices, it succeeds only to the extent that it is based on a correct understanding of the human person. Catholic involvement in political life cannot compromise on this principle.”  Non governmental organizations and Democracy Promotion “giving voice to the people” cfr Appendix II, democracy Survey P.42.   Pope Paul VI taught that “if you want peace, work for justice”. The Gospel calls us to be “peacemakers.”(Mt.5:9) Our love for all our brothers and sisters demands that we be “sentinels of peace” in a world wounded by violence and conflict.
It is unjust to have citizens going for months without salaries. The basic rights of workers, owners, and others must be respected. The right to productive work, to decent and fair wages must be respected. These rights must be exercised in ways that advance the common good.

3.2.6.  Change of Attitude
The way forward is basically one of a ‘change of attitude’. We must move beyond a short-term, crisis orientation towards developing our capacity to think about social change  in terms of decades. We must move beyond a hierarchical focus on politics towards the construction of an organic, broad-based approach that creates space for genuine responsibility, ownership, sharing of information and participation in the implementation and building of a culture of peace.  We must move beyond a narrow view of a letter by letter implementation of the CPA to a political transition towards the formation of a structure that will comprise the whole body politic.
The change of attitude from the culture of violence to the culture of peace, from idleness to the culture of work, remains a great challenge which needs to be addressed. We have many historical examples out there to help us appreciate our traditional value of hard work.  The tradition of Catholic Social Teaching has much to offer in these tough economic times. In the midst of the transformation of society during the Industrial Revolution, Pope Leo XIII gave us enduring principles to deal with “new things” in his prophetic encyclical Rerum Novarum, in which Leo XIII calls for some improvement in the ” misery of the wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working class” He supported the rights of labour to form unions, rejected communism and unrestricted capitalism and affirmed the right to private property. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have made the cause of justice for workers their own, responding to the “new things” in economic life When Pope John Paul II issued his first “social encyclical,” Laborem Exercens, in 1981, he invited us to look at these issues from the perennial viewpoint of the value of human work which finds its intrinsic meaning in the dignity of the worker.

3.2.7.   Appeal for Reconciliation
Reconciliation implies a complete renewal for those who have received it, and it corresponds to justification (cf. Romans 5:9), to sanctification (cf. Colossians 1:21 f).  The Gospel of reconciliation can be seen to correspond to the Gospel of peace. God is the primary and principal author of reconciliation.  This is the reason for Saint Paul’s urgent appeal: “We implore you in Christ’s name: be reconciled to God! He has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Cor 5:20).
As messengers of peace and reconciliation, “we” cannot proclaim or bring about peace if peace does not reign within “us.”  The Gospel of reconciliation and peace, when it is interiorized, changes the impulses of aggression that cause us to increase conflicts; that cause us to believe that nonviolence is impractical; that cause us to think of war as a consequence that cannot be avoided.  Christian reconciliation in fact, transforms our inner orientation and overcomes our self-centeredness. It is not merely the elimination of a state of guilt but a transformation that is rooted in our love for Justice and Peace.
Reconciliation, as an inner peace-making, purifies us from the virus of violence. The Church proclaims, with the conviction of her faith in Christ and the awareness of her mission, “that violence is an evil, that violence as a solution to problems is unacceptable, that violence is unworthy of man. Violence is a lie, because it is contrary to the truth of our faith, to the truth of our humanity. Violence destroys what it claims to defend: the dignity, lives and freedom of human beings.”
The various initiatives of reconciliation taking place at different levels in our country should be encouraged to pave the way for a lasting peace.  Examples of these include North/ South dialogue, North-North dialogue, South-South dialogues, Race and Ethnicity, Ethnic groups or tribalism, Families, Churches with Churches, Inter-religious, Church, Neighbours and individuals.

3.2.8.  Duties and Obligations as Believers
The Sudan is blessed with excellent, talented, generous and religious people, and abundant resources. However, our potentialities do not reach far enough. Our culture sometimes does not lift us up but brings us too low. Our nation is wounded by violence, corruption, many evils, torn apart by conflict, and haunted by poverty.
For Christians, civic and political responsibilities are seen through the eyes of faith and our moral convictions are brought to public life. The Catholic Church in the Sudan is a community of faith,  and not a mere secular entity with purely social  and/or political interests. At this moment in time, we raise a series of questions, seeking to lift up the moral and human dimensions of the choices facing our citizens. How will we protect the weakest in our midst? How will our nation resist what Pope John Paul II calls a “culture of death”?  How can our society combat continuing prejudice, overcome tribalism and heal the wounds of racism, slavery, religious bigotry and other forms of discrimination?  How can our society defend or support families in their roles and responsibilities, offering them real choices and financial resources to obtain quality education and earn a decent living?
As believers, we are called to be a community of conscience within the larger society and to test public life by the values of Scripture and the principles of Catholic social teaching. Our responsibility is to measure all policies, candidates, parties, and platforms by how they protect or undermine the life, dignity, and rights of the human person and whether they protect the poor, vulnerable and advance the common good!
Act now! You can make a difference in the lives of people who struggle in the midst of poverty, disease, war and injustice. Pray. Learn, discern, Act. Speak out. Get involved as an individual, a family, a school, and a parish or faith community!
As Christians and Moslem intellectuals, youths and elders, make a direct, positive impact on the lives of our brothers and sisters in need of permanent peace. Get involved by:
”    Bearing witness to the poverty, conflict, injustice – and hope.
”    Engaging your campus, offices, responsibilities, etc, involved through education, action and prayer.
Speak out! Bring your faith to bear in the public square. Get involved to bring about changes that can uproot the causes of poverty, conflict and injustice.
We also appeal to Muslim spiritual leaders who believe in the Almighty God, the giver of peace to join hands, minds and hearts with us in the promotion of justice and peace in the Sudan. Such collective effort on behalf of true peace is a national duty for each and every citizen. We believe this is a beautiful description of one aspect of the task that confronts us, to be prophets of hope and peace for our world, because of our faith.  Because we believe in God we can, as servants of God, make the Sudan a better place.
Pope Benedict XVI speaks of religion reminding us of human finitude and weakness, and therefore enjoining us not to place our ultimate hope in this world.
The universality of human experience, which transcends all geographical boundaries and cultural limitations, makes it possible for followers of all religion(s) to engage in dialogue, so as to grapple with the mystery of life’s joy and suffering.  In this regard, the Church eagerly seeks opportunities to listen to the spiritual experience of other religions.  We could say that all religions aim to penetrate the profound meaning of human existence by linking it to an origin or principle outside itself.  Religions offer an attempt to understand the cosmos as coming from and returning to this origin or principle.

3.2.9.  Priests
Brothers in priesthood, the ordination rite reminds us, you are the first among the collaborators of the bishop in leadership and service. We implore you to take an active part in the living, teaching and dissemination of the message of this pastoral letter to all people of God close to you, using methods available to you.

3.2.10.  Religious in the consecrated life
Sisters and Brothers in the religious life, as consecrated persons, you are called to work for the advent of reconciliation, justice and peace by living your charisms and fully embracing the evangelical counsels in your own communities. In fact, through the witness of a life of service, the acceptance of diversity, forgiveness and reconciliation, you will be a “sign” and “instrument” in the world of the Kingdom to come.
The commitment to reconciliation, justice and peace is intrinsic to your vocation. As consecrated persons involved in the apostolate of the people of God in the Sudan, we urge you to seize the opportunity to use this pastoral letter more extensively, by spreading its content, ‘true peace’ in the Sudan. You ought to be in some way the living memory of the conviction that every Christian does not have “a stable, definitive city” on earth (cf. Heb 13:14), or better, that he does not belong to any tribe, race or people on earth.

3.2.11.  Catechists
The mission of the Church is about making disciples and helping people respond to the call of holiness by being part of a faith-filled, worshiping community struggling to be faithful to the Gospel.
We call on all of you our catechists to reach out to both committed Catholics and the people of other denomination to help them grow and develop their faith to be messengers of peace.  But we appeal to you to reach out also to fallen-away children of God to embark on wings of prayer, justice, reconciliation and peace in using this pastoral letter in all your daily catechesis and testimonies of life.

3.2.12.  To the International Community
It is equally important for the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), together with IGAD friends and the International Community and those who collaborated fully in our collective efforts in achieving the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, to continue to pursue, and to honour their commitment to the full realization of a permanent peace in Sudan.
In this perspective, speaking at the U.N. General Assembly on the 50th anniversary of its foundation, Pope John Paul II recalled, “that there are universal human rights, rooted in the nature of the person, in which are reflected the objective requirements of a universal moral law”. And he added: “these are not abstract points; rather, these rights tell us something important about the actual life of every individual and of every social group. They also remind us that we do not live in an irrational or meaningless world. On the contrary, there is a moral logic which is built into human life and which makes possible dialogue between individuals and peoples”.
It is the duty of the international community to follow up on the General elections and the referendum. It is not enough to be a passive observer as Sudan prepares for these vital elections. We call for a monitored elections by a body proposed to the GoNU and GoSS by the International community. It is a duty for them to engage the two parties to accept monitored elections.
To the NGOs working in the Sudan, we appreciate the great and difficult humanitarian works you are doing to focus on the poverty. We believe also that you have a role to help the Sudanese people to build permanent peace. Another name for peace is development.  It affords us an opportunity to highlight how the NGOs and other international donor bodies,  in the aftermath of the CPA made key promises, but have yet to fulfill them. We urge you to:
”    ensure that aid is delivered in a predictable, responsible and transparent manner;
”    ensure that aid is not conditional on the buying of goods and services from donors;
”    ensure parliaments and citizens in the Sudan have a say in how aid is spent;
”    take steps to fight corruption, including: preventing tax havens being used to shelter the proceeds of corruption; and, prosecuting companies from developed countries that engage in corrupt practices in the Sudan.
It is high time we stopped backsliding on commitments, but rather to treat the overwhelming majority of the people of the world as fellow human beings in a shared estate that respects our common humanity.

4.  Call to Prayer!
We hope these reflections will contribute to a renewed political vitality in our land. We urge all Christians, our civil leaders, every citizen, to become more involved in public life, to protect human life and dignity, and to advance the common good.
We cannot compromise our basic values or teaching, but we should be open to different ways to advance them. As Sudanese, we have the duty to participate now and in the future, in the debates and choices of the values, vision, and leaders, that will guide our nation. This dual calling of faith and citizenship is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian in the Sudan.
This is an immense undertaking entrusted to people of good will. It is precisely that of establishing truth, justice, charity, liberty and new methods of relationships in human society.
We know and believe that the power of reason cannot resolve and achieve all these issues without personal intimacy with Christ which can only come through prayer. We therefore urge ourselves to be steadfast in fervent prayer which brings inner peace to us all.
Jesus sacrificed his life so that we could experience peace both now and forever. It is impossible to experience interior peace if we fail to pursue peace with God and peace with others. There will be no peace without justice; peace-building will have no success if it only concentrates on peace as an absence of war or on maintaining the status quo.  In making this assessment, we are aware that all parties  and each one of us, face serious issues, concerns, and dilemmas that need to be addressed and resolved.
In conclusion, we hope and pray that this message will find a place in your hearts. We implore our Mother  Mary, the Queen of Peace, St. Josephine Bakhita, model of reconciliation and St. Daniel Comboni, our father in faith, to intercede for us!
We end by sharing with you some thoughts from Holiness Pope Benedict XVI’s powerful encyclical Deus CaritasEst (God is Love):
Love of God and love of neighbor have become one: In the least of the brethren we find Jesus himself, and in Jesus we find God….Love for widows and orphans, prisoners, and the sick and needy of every kind is as essential to [the Church] as the ministry of the sacraments and preaching of the Gospel.
May God bless you all!
Given in Yambio, November 15, 2008, on the occasion of the 33rd Annual Plenary of the Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

Sudan:’Thousands made slaves’ in Darfur

‘Thousands made slaves’ in Darfur

Strong evidence has emerged of children and adults being used as slaves in Sudan’s Darfur region, a study says.

Kidnapped men have been forced to work on farmland controlled by Janjaweed militias, a coalition of African charities says.

Eyewitnesses also say the Sudanese army has been involved in abducting women and children to be sex slaves and domestic staff for troops in Khartoum.

Up to 300,000 people have died since conflict began in Darfur in 2003.

At least 2.7 million people have fled their homes.

Sudan’s government has not yet commented on the allegations in the report, published by the Darfur Consortium on Wednesday.

Being in a refugee camp is no safeguard against attack by militiamen

The group of 50 charities says it has around 100 eyewitness accounts from former abductees.

Thousands of people from non-Arabic speaking ethnic groups in Darfur have been targeted, its report says.

Victims have been rounded up during joint attacks on villages by the Arabic-speaking Janjaweed and the Sudanese Armed Forces, according to the study.

Civilians are also tortured and killed while their villages are razed to ethnically cleanse areas, which are then repopulated with Arabic-speaking people, including nomads from Chad, Niger, Mali and Cameroon, it says.

They were kept telling us that we are not human beings and we are here to serve them Testimony from unnamed boy

Most of the abductees are women and girls, but there is new evidence in Darfur of kidnappers targeting men and boys for forced agricultural labour, says the report.

The abducted women and girls, meanwhile, are raped and forced to marry their captors as well as carry out household chores and sometimes cultivate crops, according to the study.

‘Told to serve’

The report includes the testimony of children forced to become domestic workers.

Kidnapped children are made domestic slaves, says the study

One boy said he had suffered regular beatings from his Janjaweed abductors.

“They were treating me and the other boys very badly, they kept telling us that we are not human beings and we are here to serve them, I also worked on their farms,” he said.

A woman said she was kidnapped from a refugee camp and her captors “used us like their wives in the night and during the day we worked all the time.

“The men they abducted with us were used to look after their livestock. We worked all day, all week with no rest.”

Sudan’s government has always denied the existence of slavery in the country, although Khartoum has previously admitted abductions occurred in the north-south civil war of 1983-2005, when up to 14,000 people were kidnapped.

The report calls for the joint UN-AU force to be beefed-up

But a senior Sudanese politician who did not wanted to be named said kidnappings had also occurred more recently in Darfur.

“The army captured many children and women hiding in the bush outside burnt villages,” he told the report’s authors.

“They were transported by plane to Khartoum at night and divided up among soldiers as domestic workers and, in some cases, wives.”

Call to action

The report urged Sudan’s government to disband the Janjaweed and other militia and to fully co-operate with the United Nations and the African Union.

Dismas Nkunda, co-chair of the Darfur Consortium, said: “Urgent action is clearly required to prevent further abductions and associated human rights violations, and to release and assist those who are still being held.”

The study also calls for the mandate of the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur (Unamid) to be beefed up so it can use force to protect civilians.

The Darfur Consortium also wants Khartoum to prosecute all those responsible for abductions and ban them from holding public office. It notes that no-one has ever been arrested over the wave of kidnappings.

Uganda:Governments launch military offensive on LRA rebels

Governments launch military offensive on LRA rebels
Sun 14 Dec 2008, 16:11 GMT
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KAMPALA (Reuters) – The governments of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan on Sunday launched a joint military offensive against northern Ugandan rebels in Garamba, eastern Congo, an army spokesman said.

“It’s a joint operation … We have attacked Lords Resistance Army bases. The operation began this morning,” Uganda army spokesman Paddy Ankunda told Reuters.

Ankunda said they had attacked “several” camps, and no casualties had been reported so far.

Sudan: Declaration On Deteriorating State of Freedom of Expression – Media Freedom Issued By Media Stakeholder

Article 19 (London)

Sudan: Declaration On Deteriorating State of Freedom of Expression -Media Freedom Stakeholders

10 December 2008

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press release

The National Roundtable meeting on democratic media legislation in Sudan held under the auspices of the Sudan Consortium ‘promoting freedom of expression and civil society involvement in the development of democratic media legislation in Sudan’, which met in Juba, South Sudan on 1st to 2nd December, 2008, has expressed alarm at the deteriorating state of freedom of expression and media freedom in Sudan in a declaration of concern.

The National Roundtable, comprised of Sudanese media stakeholders, including Sudanese journalists and editors, and Sudanese and international media development and human rights organisations, was opened by the Government of South Sudan’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Gabriel Changson Chang. The roundtable discussed the in-force and draft National media legislation, and highlighted the need for urgent reform of National and Southern Sudan media legislation, ahead of the scheduled 2009 national elections.

The roundtable also discussed issues surrounding self-regulation of the media in Sudan, agreeing to develop a national code of ethics that is in line with international best practice and to be drafted and adopted by the Sudanese media.

The meeting was deeply concerned by the crackdown on journalists, media professionals and media houses throughout the country, and most particularly in Khartoum. The increasing censorship of newspapers, and the harassment, detention and torture of media practitioners has reached alarming levels in Sudan.

The National Roundtable has issued a ‘Juba Declaration on the Deteriorating State of Freedom of Expression and Media Freedom in Sudan’, calling on the Government of National Unity, the Government of Southern Sudan and the International Community to ensure these abuses of fundamental human rights and media freedoms cease.

ARTICLE 19 is a member of a consortium ‘promoting freedom of expression and civil society involvement in developing democratic media legislation in Sudan’; in partnership with the Khartoum Centre for Human Rights and Environmental Development, the Association for Media Development in South Sudan, the Olof Palme International Center, International Media Support and Norwegian People’s Aid.

NOTES:

– The Juba declaration is available online at: http://www.article19.org/pdfs/press/sudan-juba-declaration.pdf

– The consortium in supported by the European Commission and Norwegian Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

ABMiller to be Sudan’s first brewer in 25 years

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ABMiller to be Sudan’s first brewer in 25 years

By Skye Wheeler

JUBA, Sudan (Reuters) – Global brewer SABMiller said it would launch a new lager in south Sudan, the first beer produced there since Islamic law shut down the region’s last brewery 25 years ago.

Alcohol was banned in Sudan after the northern Khartoum-based government brought in Sharia law in 1983.

But the country’s south won the right to a semi-autonomous secular government in the 2005 peace deal that ended more than two decades of civil war between the mostly Muslim north and the mostly Christian and animist south.

“We will not only be consuming but producing alcohol. It’s a serious political message of one country, two systems,” the south’s agriculture minister Samson Kwaje told Reuters at the SABMiller launch Tuesday.

He said he did not think the introduction of a new beer in South Sudan would aggravate already tense relations between Khartoum and the south’s capital Juba.

Nigel Fairbrass, spokesman for London-based SABMiller, said the as-yet unnamed beer would be produced in a new plant in Juba, part of an ongoing investment that has cost the company $37 million.

The company became convinced there would be a strong market for a south Sudanese brand after seeing the amount of SABMiller beer the region was importing from Uganda, he added.

The company said its subsidiary Southern Sudan Beverages Limited would employ 250 people once the beer was launched in February, and also would produce soft drinks.

South Sudan was flooded with crates of expensive imported beer after the 2005 peace deal, most of it from Uganda.

Even before the accord, consumption of alcohol continued in rural areas of the rebel-held south but this was mostly locally brewed sorghum beer.

Kwaje said SABMiller had expressed interested in sourcing cereals locally for the brew.

*Sudan Boosts Army Forces In Oil-rich Region

*Sudan Boosts Army Forces In Oil-rich Region
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AFP 9 Dec)–The Sudanese army said on Tuesday it has boosted its presence in the oil-rich region of South Kordofan in a bid to prevent any action by rebels from neighboring Darfur.
“We have deployed in South Kordofan because we do not want any movements in the region by the Justice and Equality Movement,” an army spokesman said, referring to Darfur’s largest military rebel group.
“It is a preventive measure against any JEM activity.”
He said Sudanese forces began moving in to South Kordofan on Saturday but did not disclose how many troops were involved or if there was a direct threat by the rebels.
Kordofan is a vast region in the heart of the country divided into two states, North and South, and Khartoum has accused Darfur rebels of trying to bring the area into their own conflict with the Arab-led government of Sudan.
It lies on the border with Darfur, which has been ravaged by a war between the government and rebels since 2003 that the United Nations estimates has left 300, 000 people dead and 2.7 million homeless.
The political and administrative status of Abyei, in South Kordofan, remains one of the most contentious outstanding issues in the implementation of a north- south peace deal in Sudan.
In 2011, Abyei is scheduled to hold a referendum on whether to retain its special administrative status in the north or join the south, which could decide in a separate referendum to secede from the north.

Sudan defiant on warning by French president over ICC indictment

December 9, 2008 (PARIS) — The Sudanese government reacted angrily to statements by French president Nicolas Sarkozy in which he warned that president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir has “little time” to take bold steps that brings peace to the war ravaged region of Darfur.

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French President Nicholas Sarkozy listens as Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown, not seen, makes his introductory speech at a conference, in London, Monday Dec. 8, 2008 (AP)

“Either he changes his attitude and the international community can hold discussions with him, or he does not change his attitude and will have to face up to his responsibilities, including before the International Criminal Court” Sarkozy said in an address to mark 60 years since the adoption of the UN rights declaration.

The remarks drew sharp rebuke from Khartoum.

“France has always played a negative role in the Darfur peace process since the Abuja talks in 2006” the Sudanese foreign spokesperson Ali Al-Sadiq told the daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat today.

“The statements by the French president sends wrong signals to Darfur rebels” he added.

Khartoum and Paris often thorny relations appeared to be improving particularly after a meeting between Sarkozy and Al-Bashir in the Arab Gulf state of Qatar on the sidelines of the UN development conference.

Following the meeting Al-Bashir said that his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy pledged to pressure a rebel leader to attend any future peace talks.

Al-Bashir also said that he sensed a “positive development” on the French stance with regards to the International Criminal Court (ICC) issue before adding that no agreement has been reached.

The embattled Sudanese president faces a possible arrest warrant by the ICC for allegedly orchestrating genocide in Darfur.

The ICC judges are still reviewing the evidence before making a ruling that could come as early as next month.

The African Union (AU), Arab League, Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) called for invoking Article 16 which allows the UNSC to suspend the ICC prosecutions in any case for a period of 12 months that can be renewed indefinitely.

France has been the only country to publicly offer Sudan a suspension of charges in return for concessions on the ground with regard to the Darfur crisis and relations with neighboring Chad.

Sudanese officials have appeared increasingly optimistic that Paris and London will push for a suspension.

However, Eric Chevalier, the spokesperson of the French foreign ministry told reporters today that stalling the ICC move “is not on the table”.

“We are waiting from the Sudanese government what its people want to see particularly in Darfur” Chevalier said in statements reported by Italian news agency (AKI).

“A radical and immediate change for policies taken by authorities particularly on ceasefire, strengthening relations with Chad, removing obstacles for deployment of peacekeepers and complying with ICC decisions” he added.

The French official further said that his government supports Qatari mediation efforts in Darfur “as long as it doesn’t raise the issue of invoking Article 16 as its goal”.

But Al-Sadiq reiterated his government’s position that they will not cooperate with The Hague based court.

The Sudanese ambassador in Paris Suleiman Mustafa said that “no one will force to deal with the ICC or open channels with it or take any move in that direction”.

Mustafa called on countries “that blame Sudan” to press the Darfur rebel groups to respond to peace efforts.

In the heart of disagreements between the two countries is the presence of Abdel-Wahid Al-Nur leader of Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) in France despite demands by Khartoum that he be expelled.

Al-Nur has been refusing to attend peace talks insisting that Khartoum honor a ceasefire and facilitate deployment of UN peacekeepers in Darfur.

UN experts estimate some 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million driven from their homes. Sudan blames the Western media for exaggerating the conflict and puts the death toll at 10,000.

(ST)

Poverty Reduction? A long Way to Go for Sudan

By Alesio Clement Pwong

Poverty Reduction? A Long Way to Go for Sudan

By Alesio Clement Pwong

Poverty Reduction, a Long Way to Go for Sudan

Apart from clashing with the simmering internal political tensions and pleasures contentious issues such as Dar Fur crisis, sharing of oil and non-oil revenues between Khartoum and the semi-autonomous Southern Sudan, prices of basic communities shot up to about 200%.

The government in its early days in 1989, had promised bring peace in the war-torn Sudan; reduce the growing gaps between the poor and rich; enlarge access to social services such as health care, education, water and shelter; and invest in developing agriculture and non-agricultural sectors is either unable to answer why prices of goods and services are no longer affordable, or are giving unsatisfactory answers.

Revenue from oil export has increased tremendously in the last 2-3 years, following the ending of the North-South war in January 2005; but this increase did not translate into any change in the budget priorities of the government in Khartoum, neither in the South which is struggling to recover from years of devastating wars. This year, the central government, otherwise known as Government of National Unity, set aside US $ billion as its 2008 budget, about 17 times more than 1989 budget allocated by the government it deposed that same year.

But the government of national unity did not change its priorities even after the signing of the peace deal three years ago. Budget allocations in the last three years followed the war time patterns. For instance this year, budget allocation was as follows: 78% for security,defense, police, and sovereignty sector i.e under the discretion of the president. This huge lump sum of public resources are not liable to public audit by the Auditor General.

17% went to meet the wage bill of all state institutions and social services; only 5% is set aside for dept repayments (Sudan is currently US$30.1 billion in dept).

Government of the semi-autonomous South Sudan followed the trend, in spite of its general policies which are hinged on the poverty reduction,sold to it by the World Bank which is now controlling policy development in the South through its resident officials in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Over the last three years, Government of South Sudan allocated about40% of its budget to its army, Sudan People’s Liberation Army. of the remaining 60%, up to 80% spent on salaries, wages and allowances of ever-bloated public service sector,the largest employer in South Sudan. The president of the autonomous region make civil service reform as his top agenda aimed at trimming that body and reducing public expenditure etc. But is very much likely this policy agenda shall be challenged by many interests and groups.

This trend in government priorities explains part of the causes of price hikes and worsening living conditions of the majority of Sudanese. Taxation and multiple levies exacted by the government is another cause. for example, Price of Sugar, a strategic commodity in Sudan, have gone down recently at Kenana Suger Co. the largest producing most of Sugar in Sudan. But the decline in the price of Sugar there did not lead to lowering of consumer price because taxes collected along the supply line increased the prices at the retail shops by 60%, consumer groups maintained recently. The same goes to wheat and other essential goods.

But official government line of reasoning attributes maddening price hikes of basic foodstuffs to international increase in the prices of these goods. But analyst believe there is more to this than meets the eye:

For the last three years, new class of entrepreneurs with strong clientelist links with the political power-holders in the system constitute the main cause. Through complex association, they managed to control state organs and all the banking systems including government owned, private or foreign as their source to enrich themselves fast. Methods and mechanisms illicit as they are, include: The establishment of companies targeting public resources through those banks. Some 20,000 companies, according to a 2007 Auditor General’s report, were not operational at all. Other companies are either not registered or just fictitious, aimed at fleecing pubic coffers with gross impunity. Accordingly, persons close to power but without established business credentials or links with business fraternity use loopholes in the government fiscal rules and regulations to rob the banks of billions of Sudanese pounds loaned from the banks.
The much lauded poverty reduction will hardly occur by 2015, the deadline specified in the MDG.