The Government of Southern Sudan has allocated 30 million Sudanese Pounds for repatriating southerners from Egypt and northern Sudan to enable them to participate in the upcoming 2011 referendum. Southern Sudan coordinator for repatriation, Kormach Chol Badong, told Radio Miraya that 25 millions SDG of the grant will be used for repatriating southerners from the north, and the remaining amount for repatriating refugees from Egypt.

The Vice President of the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) Riak Machar said the southern government and all Churches in Sudan should join efforts to ensure peaceful conduct of the upcoming referendum. He mentioned that the southern government is working hard on referendum preparations, and urged all the citizens to register when the registration commences, and make sure they turn up and vote.

The youths also appeal to counterparts to turn out in large numbers ahead of next years’ national referendum

By Josephat Siror

September 10, 2010 (Nairobi) -- Dozens of Sudanese youths assembled in Nairobi yesterday calling for their counterparts to support separation of Southern Sudan from the Muslim-dominated North. The Southerners group of youth also launched their referendum campaign in earnest in the capital city of Kenya where a Comprehensive Peace Agreement was reached in 2005.

While launching the diaspora campaign, a first in Kenya’s political scene, the Sudanese warned against success of ‘unity’ government, saying that it would spark another ‘eruption’ of bloodshed in the fragile Horn of Africa country.

The referendum launch comes amid mixed reactions over the referendum date set for 9th January next year and the raging debate on 'surprise' visit to Kenya by Sudanese President, Omar al-Bashir during the Promulgation of the new constitution a forth night ago. Mr Bashir's visit to Kenya fired debate since he is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes that led fleeing of Sudanese nationals most of them seeking temporary stay in Kenya.

But yesterday as the diaspora youths launched the campaign, they appealed to the fellow Southerners to turn out in large numbers and vote for the separation. “We are appealing to our diaspora colleagues wherever they are to come in large numbers and demonstrate their rights by voting during the referendum,” said Luala Abraham, leader of the United South Sudanese youth for Referendum Campaign (USS).

He lamented over the mistreatment unleashed to Southerners by the Northerners, who are mostly supporting unified type of government. These people (leaders) in the North have continuously treated the Southerners in a hostile manner through Islamic Sharia law,” he said adding that the vast country of Sudan is not a Muslim state.

The country has been subject to war-related crimes following a disagreement between the Southerners and Northerners. But the youths waving ‘orange’ T-shirts said they would push on for the separation despite being out of their homeland. “Our launch today exhibits a series of campaigns ahead in Kenya. We will also visit our brothers and sisters in refugee camps in Kakuma and Dadaab,” said Luala.

The number of Sudan nationals has been rising in Kenya, most of them from the South where rebel groups have been fighting the fragile government until the signing of the Peace Agreement between National Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) in Kenya.

Josephat Siror, BSC, is a journalist who has worked in different mainstream media houses. He has been part of Humanitarian Crew during the surge of famine that hit the Horn of Africa in 2007 stretching through 2008, he has worked in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia and part of Gulf of Eden, and worked then as a media consultant with International Red Crescent and Red Cross (ICRC). His main tasks have been reporting on humanitarian, political and social issues.

KHARTOUM, Sept 11 (KUNA) -- Zain-Sudan, an affiliate of Kuwait's Zain Group, said Saturday it donated USD 1.6 million for the Sudanese government to improve the educational sector on all levels.
The funds will be channeled to the reconstruction of 14 high schools, school labs and college classrooms, as well as the distribution of large amounts uniforms and stationery among students, said Zain-Sudan's Corporate Communication Counsel Salih Mohamed Ali Omer.
In statements to KUNA here Omer said: "The company has fully funded the construction of six schools and the reconstruction of classrooms of nine schools this year." "It also distributed 20,000 uniforms and 180,000 notebooks as well as other stationery among more than 61,000 students of 373 schools," he revealed. "Regarding the higher education sector, we have contributed to the rehabilitation of labs and classrooms at the universities of Al-Zaiem Al-Azhari, Al-Jazeera, Al-Gadarif, Dongola, Umm-Dorman and Neelain.
"We have built computer auditoriums and distributed over 1,000 laptops to university students for free," Omer added.
Zain-Sudan (formerly Mobitel) is the pioneer of GSM services in Sudan, being the first to offer mobile operations back in February 1997. Today it serves the largest number of mobile customers in the country with 7.335 million active customers as at 30 September 2009.

The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) Regional Coordinator for South Sudan, David Gressly, inaugurated on Thursday the UNMIS Team Site in Kuajok town of Warrap State.

JUBA, Sudan (AP) -- Hundreds of people are marching through the streets in Southern Sudan to mark the four-month point before an independence referendum is held.

A top Southern Sudan official, Pagan Amum, said Thursday that the south already has given many concessions to northern Sudan, including a 50-50 split of oil fields that lie in the south's territory.

Amum's comments came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sudan was a "ticking time bomb."

More than 2 million people died in the North-South civil war in Sudan. It ended in 2005 with the signing of a peace accord that promised the southern referendum in 2011, which could split Africa's largest country in two.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) - Ethiopia will start supplying power to its neighbor, Sudan, beginning October 2010, APA learns here on Tuesday.

Various power connection works were undertaken between the two countries since the past few years with the support of the World Bank, which has allocated over $100 million for the power interconnection works.

Accordingly, it has been reported that the Ethiopian Electricity and Power Corporation (EEPCo) will start to supply power to Sudan within a month time.

EEPCo indicated that the power supply to Sudan will start as soon as maintenance work on the Gilgel Gibe II hydro-power production plant, which collapsed early this year, is completed later this month.

However, it is not yet clear the amount of power that will be exported to Sudan and the money Ethiopia will obtain by exporting power to Sudan, which is currently supplying fuel to Ethiopia.

Ethiopia, home to around 80 million people, is currently undertaking a multi-billion dollar investment on hydro-electric projects, and is planning to generate around 10,000 megawatt by 2015.

Currently, Ethiopia is generating around 2,000 megawatt, and this will rise to over 3,000 megawatt by 2011 when on-going projects are finalized.

In 2008/2009, Ethiopia signed an electricity export agreement with Sudan, Djibouti and Kenya.

Ethiopia has already completed the Ethio–Sudan transmission line of 230 kilo volt interconnection project, which is about 321 kilometers long.

Moreover, the Ethio–Djibouti 230 kilo volt interconnection of 280 kilometers is another project that is expected to be commissioned in the near future.

 

 August 30, 2010 (Washington) --Sudan Minister of petroleum Dr. Lual Achuil Deng, a Southerner, was interviewed by Al-Awsat newspaper and said he prefers unity over South Sudan secession, casting doubt in the minds of most Southerners about the position of Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM).

Read the full text of the interview bellow:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q & A with Sudan’s Minister of Petroleum, Dr. Lual Deng

By Mohammad Ali Salih

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat in Washington, Dr. Lual Achuil Deng, the new Sudanese Minister of Petroleum, and the first Southerner to be appointed in this position, after years of disputes between Northern and Southern Sudanese over the production of oil wells that are mostly in the South, said he has started “an era of transparency.”

He added: “We will put everything on the Internet, for the Southerners, the Northerners, and the rest of the world to verify. We will put up daily production figures and daily revenue figures.”

Describing himself as a “long-standing unionist,” he acknowledged that the amount of time left before the scheduled referendum in the South, in January 2011, might not be enough to convince Southerners not to vote for Southern secession. But, he stressed: “I am an optimistic person.”

Deng (61 years old), was born in Bor, in Jonglei State in Southern Sudan. He holds two degrees from American universities: an M.A. in Economics from the University of Iowa, and PhD in Economics from University of Wisconsin. In Iowa, his colleague and close friend was John Garang, who studied there and obtained a PhD in Economics. Later, Garang established and led Sudan’s People Liberation Movement (SPLM), Sudan’s Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA), and fought in the struggle that culminated in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended half a century of civil war between Southern rebels and the Sudanese army.

Deng, after completing his PhD, joined the World Bank, then the African Development Bank, and later rejoined his friend Garang as an economic consultant, and participated in the talks that culminated in the CPA. When the Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) was established, in accordance with the CPA, Deng became Minister of Finance in Juba. Later, he moved to Khartoum to join the Government of National Unity (GONU) as State Minister of Finance.

After the national elections in April 2010, and the reshuffling of the National Government, Deng was appointed Minister of Petroleum, the first Southerner to take the post.

Last week, he visited the US, for the first time in his new position.

Q: What is the purpose of your visit to the US and what were the results of your discussions with American officials?

A: I am visiting the US as a private person. I did not meet with any American officials.

Q: Do you believe that the US officials support the continuation of Sudan as a united country, or prefer that the Southerners vote for separation?

A: I haven’t participated in any discussion with American officials on this subject. Of course, the US has repeatedly declared its support for the full implementation of the CPA, including the scheduled referendum in January; and also its strong desire that the Southerners vote freely and fairly for either unity or separation. I understand this position and strongly support it. But during private talks, it seemed that the Americans would prefer the continuation of a united Sudan. I believe that is the case because, according to their interpretation of American national security and strategic interests, a separate South would not be a viable state. It would face many internal problems; and would endanger the unity and stability of neighboring countries; in the overall region of the Horn of Africa, to the east of Sudan, and the region of Equatorial Africa, to the south of Sudan.

Q: Do you think General Scott Grasion, President Obama’s special envoy to Sudan, supports Sudan’s unity or the secession of the South?

A: As I said, I didn’t have any official discussions with any American official on this subject, but my [previous] private talks with General Grasion led me to believe that he was in favour of unity.

Q: How about President Obama?

A: I have never met him. But, I believe he also prefers a united Sudan. If for no other reason, because instability in the South, the North, and in the wider region, would not serve US interests. Now, you work and live in Washington, and you know the complications surrounding US foreign policy. As for the US policy towards Sudan, you know there are different lobbying groups that, at least during the last few years, have played important roles. I don’t want to name names, but you know the organizations and the lobbying forces that prefer Southern Sudan’s separation. You and I know this is how US foreign and domestic policies are formulated. I would say: let us make use of the freedom of the American system and present our views as strongly as we can.

Q: You are a leader in the SPLM; do you support the separation of the South or a united Sudan?

A: I am indebted to John Garang, my colleague, friend, boss and teacher. I was initially in favour of separation, but he convinced me that it is in Southern, let alone Northern, interests to keep Sudan united. Garang used to say: “Look at the Americans. They fought each other and their country was almost divided into two or more [countries] during the 19th Century. But, they succeeded in ending the Civil War, and agreed to peacefully solve their problems and maintain a united country. Now, the Americans are a shining example for the whole world in terms of plurality, and racial and religious tolerance.”

I also support Sudan’s unity because I have been a strong believer in Pan-Africanism, as pioneered by Kwami Nkruma, Ghana’s first president, and in Negritude, as pioneered by Leopold Senghor, Senegal’s first president. Therefore, wouldn’t it be logical that I also support the unity of Sudan?

Q: What do you say to your fellow Southern Sudanese who support the separation of the South?

A: What I just told you. On one side for me, it is a matter of principle, that unity has more advantages than separation. In other words, one hand can’t clap, but two can.

On the other side, there are tangible advantages as far as the Southerners are concerned. Take my example. I used to be a member of the Southern government, and am now a member of the National government. Not many Northern Sudanese have this advantage. Right now, the Southerners rule themselves and share in ruling the North at the same time. What else do we, the Southerners, want?

Q: What do you say to the many Southern Sudanese in the US who clearly support the separation of the South?

A: First, I believe those who live in the US, this free, democratic and highly developed country should learn a lesson or two and try to apply some of the American achievements in Sudan.

Secondly, we all might complain about the conditions in Sudan, but we know that once we leave Sudan and live in foreign countries, we tend to miss our native country, and tend to appreciate it despite all its problems.

Thirdly, as I said, I was in favour of separation, but became older and wiser and changed my mind. I hope this young generation of Southerners in the US will grow up and become wise. In the meantime, I would say to them: “Don’t sit here and make judgments about the far away Sudan. Don’t talk about the possibility of the renewal of war if you are not ready to go there and fight. Don’t enjoy the air-conditioning here and think you can express the feelings of your brothers and sisters in the forests.”

Q: Some Southerners severely criticize, and complain about, the policies of the National Congress Party (NCP, led by President al-Bashir and the ruling party of Sudan); and say that its Islamic Civilization Project (ICP) is the reason they support separation?

A: I don’t want to defend al-Bashir and the ICP because they are able to defend themselves. But I want to defend the Sudan, its unity, heritage, hopes and aspirations. The Sudan, throughout centuries, has seen rulers come and go, and projects appearing and disappearing.

Q: Some of your Southern colleagues say you have abandoned “Sudan Jadeed” (New Sudan) slogan that was pioneered by John Garang?

A: John Garang raised the “Sudan Jadeed” slogan. Also, he raised “Sudan Wahid” (One Sudan) slogan.

Also, how can the Southerners establish a new Sudan, if they want to leave Sudan itself?

Furthermore, I strongly believe that the new Sudan is simply the old Sudan. I believe that Kush civilization (before Islam and Arabism) was a pure African civilization. I will tell you a story: recently, my daughter, who was born in the US and is a US citizen, visited Merowe in northern Sudan and saw the pyramids that were built by early Sudanese civilizations. She came back and told me that I was right in opposing Southern separation, and in saying the new Sudan is indeed the old Sudan.

So, if the North is indeed the South [i.e. a united Sudan], why would the Southerners want to leave it to the Northerners [laughs]?

Q: There is a leader in the SPLM who is clearly against Southern separation, Pagan Amum, SPLM Secretary General. Yet in an interview with “Asharq Alawsat’ two months ago, he said the SPLM shouldn’t declare whether it supported unity or separation, and should let the Southerners decide for themselves?

A: First of all, Amum, sometimes, says things that reflect only his personal views. Secondly, why are we leaders if we do not want to lead? Thirdly, Silva Kiir, Vice President of Sudan, President of the GOSS and of SPLM, has said many times that he supports a united Sudan.

Q: Some Southerners accuse President al-Bashir’s government of cheating the South out of oil revenues, since most of the oil wells are in the South.

A: On my first day as Minister of Petroleum, I declared my policy of transparency in Sudan's oil sector, and promised that I would start publishing figures regarding the daily oil output on the Minsitry’s website, on the Internet.

I strongly believe that it is this lack of transparency, or the perceived lack of transparency, that has fuelled mistrust between partners. We want to enhance trust between the North and South.

Q: Some Southerners say it is not enough that you declare transparency. You should compensate the South for the al-Bashir government’s deception since the CPA in 2005.

A: Like I said, I will publish daily production figures. Also, I will conduct a full independent audit regarding the oil industry since 2005, to prevent future conflict over oil.

I hope to comfort all the Sudanese by stating that there will now be transparency, even if it did not exist in the past.

The audit will basically look at oil production since 2005 - it will be conducted by an independent firm. Our preference is to accelerate the process so that the results are made available before the referendum.

Q: The international non-governmental organization Global Witness said last year that there were inconsistencies on the part of the Sudan government, regarding the exact figures of oil production and revenues. Furthermore it claimed that roughly six billion dollars, supposed to go the South since the CPA in 2005, were missing?

A: I don’t think this is true. And you can ask Global Witness. Recently, Global Witness participated in a landmark transparency seminar in Khartoum, which we organised. Global Witness said it was impressed by the openness with which all sides participated in the event. They emphasised that the discrepancies uncovered did not mean that six billion dollars were missing, but only about 10 percent (about 600 million dollars). Anyway, I assured them of my new policy of transparency.

Q: What are the prospects of oil production in Sudan?

A: We expect to increase oil production by up to one-third by next year, reaching as high as 600,000 barrels per day. Current average output is between 450,000 and 470,000 from the two blends - Nile and Dar.

Recently, we and the Finnish firm, Fenno Caledonian, signed an oil and gas exploration agreement for the north-eastern part of Sudan, in the states of Gadaref, Kasala, River Nile, and Gezira. The company also works in Dongola.

As you can see, this indicates the influx of European investment in Sudan. French oil giant Total, which has a huge untapped reserve in south Sudan, asked us about guarantees to keep its concessions after the referendum. I assured them of this, whatever the result of the referendum. As you know, Western firms mostly pulled out during the North-South civil war and the sector is currently dominated by Asian companies. But, I want to open the door for every company, from every country.

(L to R) U.S. special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration, Ghazi Salah Eldin, presidential adviser in charge of Darfur file, former South Africa President Thabo Mbeki, head of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel and joint special representative of U.N.-African Union peacekeepers in Darfur (UNAMID) Ibrahim Gambari attend the Consultative meeting on Darfur peace strategy in Khartoum Thursday, 26 August 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah) Former South Africa President Thabo Mbeki (L), head of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel speaks next to joint special representative of U.N.-African Union peacekeepers in Darfur (UNAMID) Ibrahim Gambari during the Consultative meeting on Darfur peace strategy in Khartoum August 26, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abd) U.S. special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration (R) and Joint special representative of U.N.-African Union peacekeepers in Darfur (UNAMID) Ibrahim Gambari arrive for the Consultative meeting on Darfur peace strategy in Khartoum Thursday, 26 August 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah) Joint special representative of U.N.-African Union peacekeepers in Darfur (UNAMID) Ibrahim Gambari talks to the United Kingdom's Special Envoy to Sudan Michael Ryder (L) and British ambassador to Sudan Nicholas Kay (R) during the Consultative meeting on Darfur peace strategy in Khartoum Thursday, 26 August 2010. (Reuters) U.S. special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration (R) talks to the United Kingdom's Special Envoy to Sudan Michael Ryder (L) and British ambassador to Sudan Nicholas Kay (C) during the Consultative meeting on Darfur peace strategy in Khartoum Thursday, 26 August 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah) U.S. special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration (L) talks to Ghazi Salah Eldin, presidential adviser in charge of Darfur file, at the Consultative meeting on Darfur peace strategy in Khartoum Thursday, 26 August 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)UNAMID JSR Attends Consultative Meeting on Darfur Peace StrategySource: United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)Date: Thursday, 26 August 2010UNAMID PR / 33- 2010Khartoum, 26 August 2010 – The Joint Special Representative (JSR) of the AU-UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Professor Ibrahim Gambari today attended a Consultative Meeting on Darfur Peace Strategy with Sudanese Presidential Advisor, Dr. Ghazi Salahuddin Atabani; Chairman of the AU High Level Implementation Panel, Thabo Mbeki, and US Special Envoy for Sudan, Scott Gration.The participants underlined the necessity of having a comprehensive strategy that would encompass all aspects of the Darfur problem, including security, stabilization, development and early recovery.The meeting agreed that UNAMID and the Government of Sudan (GoS) would cooperate closely to improve the security situation in Darfur and conduct joint action to ensure stabilization and development in the whole region.The meeting also discussed the GoS Darfur Security Strategy/Plan along with the draft US Security and Stabilization Initiative for Darfur.JSR Gambari expressed his satisfaction over the strategy saying he would look forward for cooperation between UNAMID and GoS Police and military forces to ensure the security of Darfur.The JSR also emphasized UNAMID's commitment to support early recovery and development in the region."UNAMID will be supporting recovery programs in close consultation and coordination with the UN Country Team," Professor Gambari remarked.Mr. Mbeki referred to the necessity of involving the Darfurian people in the peace process and its negotiations, expressing his expectation to have a peace deal concluded before the end of this year.Also present at the meeting was UNAMID's Deputy JSR for Operations and Management, Mohamed Yonis; Force Commander, Lieutenant General Patrick Nyamvumba; and Police Commissioner, James Oppong-Boanuh.Communication and Public Information Division Media ContactsKemal Saïki, Director; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; tel.: +249 (0) 92 244 3529; mobile: +249 (0) 92 241 0020Chris Cycmanick, Officer-in-Charge, Media Relations; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , mobile: +249 (0) 91 253 8436- - -Photos from AU and UN Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010 The opening session of the A.U. and U.N. Sudan Consultative Forum is pictured in Khartoum July 17, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah - Sat Jul 17, 2010; 9:26 AM ET) U.N. Under Secretary General for Peace Keeping Operations Alain Le Roy (L), Commissioner for Peace and Security of the African Union Ramtane Lamamra and former South African president Thabo Mbeki (R) attend the opening session of the A.U. and U.N. Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah - Sat Jul 17, 2010; 9:18 AM ET) Chinese special envoy to Darfur Liu Guijin (L) attends the opening session of the A.U. and U.N. Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah) Former South African president Thabo Mbeki (L) arrives to the opening session of the A.U. and U.N. Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah - Sat Jul 17, 2010; 9:01 AM ET) 0 0U.S. presidential special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration (L) talks to the Chinese special envoy to Darfur Liu Guijin before the opening session of the A.U. and U.N. Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah - Sat Jul 17, 2010; 8:59 AM ET) 1 1U.S. presidential special envoy to Sudan Scott Gration arrives to attend the opening session of the A.U. and U.N. Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah) 2 2Kamal Hassan (L) from the National Congress Party and Loka Byong from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) attend the opening session of the A.U. and U.N. Sudan Consultative Forum in Khartoum July 17, 2010. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah - Sat Jul 17, 2010; 9:09 AM ET) 3 3Britain's new minister for Africa Henry Bellingham speaks during his meeting with Sudanese officials in Khartoum July 26, 2010. Britain wants to trade more with Sudan. On his first official visit to Sudan, Bellingham said Britain's new government sought to encourage companies to invest more in Sudan, particularly in its oil and services sectors. (Reuters/Mohamed Nurdldin Abdalla - Mon Jul 26, 2010; 2:28 PM ET)Thank you for reading Sudan Watch. 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 0 0 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 0 0 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7Authors: Editor

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