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Peace Through Development

Last Updated on Wednesday, 31 January 2007 07:15 Wednesday, 31 January 2007 07:15

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PERSPECTIVES AND PROSPECTS

"The SPLM shall setup and establish good governance, where the exercise of political, economic and administrative authority in the management of the country's affairs at all levels shall be people based, so that individuals and groups have an effective say in the allocation and management of resources and in decisions that affect their lives." [From the SPLM Vision, Program and Constitution (1998:12)].

  • SECTION I: SPLM VISION OF RESOLUTION OF THE SUDAN CONFLICT
  • SECTION (II): THE QUEST FOR PEACE THROUGH TRACK (I)
  • SECTION (III): RESOLVING THE CONFLICT THROUGH TRACK (II)
  • SECTION IV: SPLM PEACE THROUGH DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY – TRACK (III)
  • SECTION V: KEY ELEMENTS OF PEACE THROUGH DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
    • Building the SPLM
    • Transforming the SPLA into an Organic Army of the New Sudan
    • Establishing and Consolidating Civil Authority for the New Sudan (CANS)
    • General
    • The Branches of CANS
    • Legislature
    • The Executive
    • The Judiciary
    • Empowering Civil Society
    • DEVELOPMENT OF THE ECONOMY AND PROVISION OF SERVICES
    • Social Development
    • Health
    • Education
    • Cultural Development
    • Civic Education and Information
    • Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Economic Structures and Institutions
    • Rehabilitation of physical infrastructure
    • Financial institutions
    • Micro Enterprise Development
    • Agriculture and Natural Resources
    • Human capital development
    • Macroeconomic policy framework
  • SECTION VI: Challenges




SECTION I: SPLM VISION OF RESOLUTION OF THE SUDAN CONFLICT
Sudan is the largest country in Africa, with a total area of 2.5 million square km and a population of about 35 million people. The area of the country, which is under the effective administration - i.e. under the Civil Authority of New Sudan (CANS) - of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) is larger than Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi combined, with a population of about 10 million people. It will be recalled that the New Sudan consists of Bahr el Ghazal, Equatoria, Southern Blue Nile, Southern Kordofan and Upper Nile Regions as proclaimed by the first National Convention Resolutions of the SPLM in 1994 (see Annex 1 to this document). New Sudan is endowed with fertile agricultural land, livestock, forests (about 80,000 hectares are covered by teak), fisheries, water, wildlife and minerals, including fossil oil and gold.

Most of the above mentioned resources are yet to be utilized for the economic wellbeing of the people of New Sudan. Recurrent conflict and lack of participatory governance in the Sudan are the main obstacles toward achieving food security and wellbeing of ordinary Sudanese people. The country has been at war with itself twice since its independence in 1956. The current conflict has just entered its 17th year and has been more devastating than the first one, where it is estimated that about 1.9 million people have died as a direct result of the conflict and related episodes, such as famine and disease. Hence the urgent need for peaceful resolution of the conflict in the Sudan. It is against this background that the SPLM has evolved a comprehensive programme for resolution of the Sudan conflict that is contained in this document.

The SPLM peace programme for resolution of the Sudanese conflict is based on three simultaneous tracks or programmes:
Track One (I): This programme consists of a negotiated political settlement between the SPLM and the Government of the day in Khartoum, at present the NIF regime, and this is currently being pursued through the IGAD peace process.

Track Two (II): This consists of resolving the Sudan conflict through the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), of which the SPLM is a member. It is the process whereby the NDA builds itself into a viable and credible alternative to the NIF regime to replace by a Government of the NDA, representing the New Sudan.


Track Three (III): This is the SPLM programme of "Peace through development" of the New Sudan. The argument here is that while the SPLM/SPLA pursues the option of a negotiated political settlement with the NIF through the IGAD peace process (Track I) and through the NDA process (Track II), the SPLM/A should start socio-economic development of the New Sudan and provision of services to the civil population in areas it controls.




SECTION (II): THE QUEST FOR PEACE THROUGH TRACK (I)

Since its inception in 1983, the SPLM has been committed to a peaceful resolution to the conflict through a genuine negotiation mechanism. In this regard, the SPLM held series of peace talks with governments that have come and gone in Khartoum. Most of the negotiations have been undertaken between the SPLM and the present National Islamic Front regime although there were other contacts before the NIF ascendance to power. The SPLM peace efforts before the NIF 1989 coup include the following:-

March, 1985: The SPLM called for the holding of a National Constitutional Conference which should have been organized by the SPLM and the Numeri regime before the latter was overthrown by popular uprising of the Sudanese people in April 1985.

March, 1986, Koka Dam, Ethiopia: Koka Dam Conference between the SPLM and Sudanese Trade Unions resulting in the Koka Dam Declaration.

November, 1988, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: The Sudan Peace Initiative between the SPLM and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) where a National Constitutional Conference was agreed upon.

With the present NIF government, the SPLM has undertaken the following Peace Negotiations: -

August, 1989, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: These were direct talks between the SPLM and the Khartoum Government without any external mediator(s). No progress was made in these talks.

December, 1989, Nairobi, Kenya: These were initially direct talks between the SPLM and the Khartoum Government without any external mediation, but during the talks the mediation of former U.S.A. President, Mr. Jimmy Carter was subsequently involved. Nothing came out of these talks.

May/June, 1992, Abuja 1 Negotiations: These negotiations were under the mediation of former Nigerian President Ibrahim Babangida when he was Chairman of the OAU. A communiqué was issued at the end of the negotiations (see annex 2).

April/May, 1993, Abuja 2 Negotiations: Continuation of Abuja-1 under the mediation of former Nigerian President Ibrahim Babangida. There was no agreement reached and no communiqué issued. The Nigerian mediators issued a press statement that the negotiations had been adjourned for one month. They were never held again thereafter.

The regional peace process under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) countries, which has been going on since 1994, is by far the most serious mediation process that has addressed core issues in the Sudanese conflict through development of the Declaration of Principles (DOPs) (see annex 3). The SPLM accepted the DOP as soon as they were tabled in 1994 but the Government of Sudan (GOS) initially rejected them and the negotiation process stalled. However, later in 1997 after two years of sustained SPLA military victories (1995 - 1997), the negotiation process resumed.

Since 1994, the IGAD Peace process has evolved and made progress and the broad dimensions of a possible peaceful and just settlement appear clear despite the fact that the NIF walked away and stayed away from 1994 to 1997. However, there are two main points of contention at IGAD. These are the relationship between religion and state on one hand and the right to self-determination on the other. On the issue of the relationship between religion and state, the two positions are irreconcilable but there has been a broad agreement on the right to self-determination. To resolve the stalemate on the issue of relationship between religion and state, the SPLM has offered a compromise solution, which is the creation of two Confederal States during the interim period. This proposal is summarized as follows:

There shall be an interim period of two years, starting from the date a comprehensive peace accord is signed by the parties to the Sudanese conflict.

Sudan shall remain united during the Interim Period, and shall be ruled as a Confederation of two confederal states.

The boundaries of the two states shall be clearly defined. The Southern Confederal State shall consist of Bahr el Ghazal including Abyei, Equatoria, Southern Blue Nile, Southern Kordofan and Upper Nile. The Northern State shall comprise the remaining parts of the Sudan.

Each Confederal State shall have its own constitution and laws.

The Confederation shall be based on the common interests of the two parties in the fields of joint defense against external aggression, foreign affairs, mutual economic activities and any other areas that may be agreed upon.

Details of the legal and administrative arrangements and institutions of the Confederation shall be negotiated by the two parties.

Immediately following the signing of the Peace accord the warring parties shall declare a permanent Cease-fire to be followed by disengagement of forces under the auspices and supervision of an international peace keeping force, drawn from countries acceptable to the two parties.

The G.O.S. forces shall be withdrawn from the Southern Confederal State and re-deployed in the Northern Confederal State. The Sudan People's Liberation army (SPLA) shall be deployed in the Southern State.

The two armies shall remain separate under their respective independent commands during the interim Period.

The government of each state shall independently exercise responsibility over internal security and maintenance of law and order within the confederal state.

Details of security arrangements and operational plans for the disengagement and withdrawal of forces shall be negotiated and agreed by the parties as part of the peace accord.

The Interim government of the Southern Confederal State shall establish a special commission for repatriation, resettlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction (to be referred to as Resettlement Commission).

The Commission shall administer the return and resettlement of the refugees and the internally displaced people.

There shall be set up a Special Fund for purposes of repatriation, resettlement, rehabilitation and reconstruction in the Southern Confederal State, which is affected by war. The Resettlement Commission shall manage this fund.

The Southern Confederal State shall establish an independent referendum commission, which shall organize the conduct of the referendums on self-determination. The law governing the conduct of the Referendum shall be agreed between the parties.

The Referendum on Self-determination shall be conducted under International supervision.

At the end of the interim period, the people of Southern Sudan, Nuba and Southern Blue Nile will exercise the right to self-determination.




SECTION (III): RESOLVING THE CONFLICT THROUGH TRACK (II)

The NDA peace programme is based on the Asmara Declaration of June 1995 (See Annex 2 to this document). The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is based on an alliance between forces of the Old Sudan and those of the New Sudan. The Asmara Declaration is a serious attempt by the Northern Sudanese political parties (in alliance with the SPLM/SPLA) to address the fundamental problem of the Sudan and move in the direction of the New Sudan. The NDA programme is composed of four pillars, or means of struggle. These are:

  • Popular political resistance leading to the Intifadha;
  • Armed struggle, as now being waged by the NDA and SPLA;
  • International pressures against the NIF regime.
  • A negotiated political settlement leading to peaceful dismantling of NIF regime, and its replacement by a New Sudanese political dispensation, a situation that could be similar to the dismantling of the apartheid state in South Africa through negotiations.

It is clear that in order to achieve a negotiated political settlement to the Sudanese conflict, it is necessary to increase (intensify) all the above four means of struggle against the NIF regime. Those countries or people who have bought the NIF charm offensive, and seek to relax international pressures on the NIF regime by engaging and normalizing relations with the regime actually reduce the chances for peace, and actually help the NIF regime to consolidate itself.



 
SECTION IV: SPLM PEACE THROUGH DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY – TRACK (III)

From the perspectives of the SPLM, a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the Sudan will be achieved through a comprehensive development strategy that depends on a sustainable system of participatory democracy and good governance. On the other hand, participatory democracy and good governance rely on the establishment of a broad-based civil authority, such as the CANS, which derives its legitimacy from people's Congresses and Liberation Councils (PLCs) at the Boma, Payam, County, Regional, and National levels.

The overall objective of this document is to articulate the SPLM's Vision on Peace Through Development (PTD) by providing a framework or road map that would guide all the stakeholders in the search for a peaceful and speedy resolution to the conflict in the Sudan and to effectively participate in the implementation of this strategy.

For development to take place, and development strategies to be sustainable, certain prerequisites and objective conditions need to prevail. In the case of the liberated areas, these prerequisites do exist to a large degree. Although the liberation struggle continues, sufficient progress has been made in terms of physical liberation, providing internal security, securing the liberated area from external aggression, and establishing the structures and institutions of governance to the extent that the emphasis of the Movement has shifted from military activities behind the lines and relief to rehabilitation and development as a modality for peace making and peace maintenance. In this connection, independent groups including humanitarian organizations operating in the liberated areas do admit that a conducive environment prevails in most parts to warrant development intervention. Indeed some rehabilitation activities have been undertaken over the last (8) eight years. Hence, the SPLM conviction that peace in the Sudan can be achieved through development.

The rest of the document presents the SPLM Peace through Development strategy (PTD). While the document outlines the components of PTD, specific details for each program and sub-program will be worked out separately in the form of projects by the various elements of CANS and civil society.




SECTION VI: Challenges

While a large part of the organizational structures of CANS have already been put in place, some are not yet established. A lot more effort needs to be exerted to complete the process. Part of the problem is due to the dearth of trained and experienced cadre in the area of governance. Security concerns, weak management and technological capacity all add to the problem.

Due to long history of exclusion and oppression, the concepts and practice of participation, accountability, openness and transparency are still to take root amongst the people of New Sudan. Capacity building in these areas need to be enhanced. The challenge facing the Executive, and other CANS structures, is therefore to maintain peace and security, equitably provide services to the population and correctly guide the transition to rehabilitation and development in the vast territory under the control of the SPLM. Poorly developed transport and communication infrastructure, little financial resources, an underdeveloped resource base and a small number of skilled and trained humanpower will pose considerable challenges to the realization of PTD.