Political Crisis In Sudan Ends, As SPLM Agrees To Rejoin The Unity Government
(RTTNews) - The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), a group of former southern rebels, has agreed to rejoin the national coalition government, raising hopes of an end to the political crisis in the country.
The SPLM's ministers resigned from the unity government in October in protest of the ruling National Congress party's failure to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the two decade long civil war in 2005.
The SPLM agreed to join the government following a meeting between its leader Salva Kiir and Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir. They have agreed on funding for a census and a timetable to withdraw troops from either side of Sudan's north-south border.
However, they have failed to reach a consensus on the demarcation of the disputed oil-rich Abyei region.
SPLM Secretary-General Pagan Amum said most issues that caused a political crisis in Sudan have been resolved in the two-hour meeting held Tuesday night. "The SPLM ministers will soon return to the cabinet," he added.
The two sides agreed that there will be more transparency on issues of oil management and marketing and funding to pave the way for a census in 2011. Based on the census, the southern region could decide to split from the north, Bashir assured the SPLM leadership.
A decision on the final border demarcation of the disputed oil-rich region of Abyei that currently lies in the north will be reached by Saturday, according to Amum.
Africa's longest civil war that was waged between the mainly Muslim north and the Animist and Christian south claimed the lives of 1.5 million people in Sudan. 10,000 UN peacekeepers are deployed in South Sudan to maintain the peace agreement.
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