CPA Partners Agree to Continue interconnection Irrespective Referendum Results
(SV)
The workshop organized in Cairo under the auspices of the Egyptian Government between the NCP and the SPLM for the purpose of supporting the current efforts for the upcoming south Sudan referendum wrapped up yesterday.
NCP Cairo Office Chief, Dr. Waleed Sayed described the discussion as positive and transparent reflecting the concordance between the two parties.
He lauded the vital role of Egypt in narrowing the difference in viewpoints to boost the peace and stability in Sudan.
He added that Egypt assured the neccissity of maintaining unity but at the same time it expresses respect to the citizens of the south if they opt to secession.
On the outcomes of the workshop, Sayed said that the CPA partners agreed to continue interconnection irrespective the result of the referendum as that will strengthen the relation between the Sudanese people in the North and in the South.
The two partners also agreed that the peace must be the ultimate solution in Sudan and that the referendum be conducted as scheduled in full fairness and transparency with its results acceptable to all inside and outside the country.
Sayed said that the workshop comes within the frame of accomplishing the talks between the peace partners which was initiated in Sudan to support the efforts of AU panel chaired by Thabo Mbeki.
He disclosed that the workshop represented a political understandings through in-depth dialogue on which the details of the pending issues could be built.

Carter Center plans to monitor Southern Sudan referendum
(Mirayafm)
The Carter Center has said that it is planning to deploy an international observation mission to Sudan to monitor the referendum for self-determination of Southern Sudan and the referendum on the status of Abyei which is scheduled for 2011. However, the Center is yet to specify the deployment date which it said will take place in coordination with the Southern Sudan and Abyei Referendum Commissions as well as the concerned authorities.

Hundreds flee renewed attacks by LRA rebels in WES
(ST)
Fresh attacks by the Ugandan rebels of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Sangua Payam of Nzara County, Western Equatoria state, have forced hundreds of people to flee their homes and created a worrying spike in humanitarian needs, state government officials and aid local chief have warned.
The rebels appear to have timed their raid on Sunday afternoon, looting food items, and burning houses. “The recent attacks have triggered widespread panic and fear in Sangua and other villages around Nzara County,” said Tartizio James Banzimi, a local chief.
The LRA has been fighting and committing the kinds of atrocities throughout the Western Equatoria state at acquiring food items and bolstering its movement. It appears to be a cult of violence with thousands of adherents or forced converts, and has killed or violated tens of thousands of civilians in its campaign against the Ugandan government. It seeks a control of any territory it inhabits or feeds from, through terror and fear.
John Arika who escaped LRA raids said, “The entire population of Basukamgbii payam, 15 miles away west of Nzara County and Sangua payam, nine miles away from Nzara, has empted to Nzara town seeking protection and food.”
Local authority in Nzara is battling to settle the IDPs; vast lands behind county administrative buildings are being distributed to the IDPs. Many of those fleeing had already been forced from their homes by previous LRA attacks, according to Banzimi.
“They are too scared to return to the rural areas, so they are unable to cultivate their fields, or to even send their children to school because they fear the LRA will attack,” Banzimi added.
Ugandan troops led a US-backed military operation in December 2008 against remote rebel bases after LRA leader Joseph Kony again failed to appear for a scheduled peace accord-signing ceremony mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan. After the botched operation, the LRA mounted a wave of reprisal attacks, killing hundreds of civilians in Southern Sudan, DRC and CAR.

South Sudan Referendum Commission ready to start work
(Mirayafm)
The Head of the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, Professor Mohammed Ibrahim Khalil, said that the Commission has completed preparations to start its work and its members will soon move to the headquarters. Speaking to Radio Miraya, Khalil said that the Commission has already established its headquarters in Khartoum and its branch in Southern Sudan.
He said that the Secretary General of the Commission will be appointed next week. Khalil said that the main challenge the Commission will face is the time factor.

Oil Production Under the Red Sea Due, Ministry
(SUNA)
State Minister for Mining and Oil Engineer Ali Ahmed Osman announced, that the actual oil production from the first well under the Red Sea waters will start during the few coming days. Production area will be within square 15 that belongs to the Red Sea Company for oil.
In a press statement following his recent visit to the Red Sea State, the minister said that he had inspected the drilling process of the said oil well. According to him 2700 meters had been drilled with only 300 meters remaining of the targeted depth.  He added that his inspection included all the establishments that belong to his ministry and covered oil ports in First and Second Bashair, shipping decks, the Sudanese Establishment for oil, and the Sudanese Holding Company for Pipelines.  The minister held a meeting that included all the relevant parties, where they discussed the formation of a committee for coordination, cooperation and resolution of problems if any. There was an agreement on the importance of environment control through minimization of pollution on the part of oil companies, besides, delivery of social services to the local community.
The Red Sea State Governor, Mohammed Tahir Aila expressed his full satisfaction with the role played by the ministry of oil and its associate companies regarding the provision of economic and social development services. He further affirmed continued cooperation with the ministry for realizing the national goals, noting to the absence of insecurity aspects along the pipeline area. 

AU Stance towards South Sudan Referendum
(Opinion)
In one of our editorials of last week we referred to The African Union High Level Implementation Panel of the CPA Chief, Thabo Mbeki package of Proposals to the CPA Partners on the arrangements of post-referendum arrangements which are summarized as unity through an economical, political, and social integration or formation of two units to discuss the joint frames or the possibility of two states in future and that needs discussing the confederate system or Sudan's unity and that needs new arrangements to remove any grievances.
The proposals of the AU Panel were deliberated in the media, but nobody raised the most important question regarding what will be the stance of the African Union if our brothers in the south vote in favour of secession in the upcoming referendum on self determination?
However, the African Union plays a crucial role in the current consultations between the north and the south over the post-referendum arrangements which might lead to the separation of the southern part of the country.
The CPA partners agreed on the sponsorship of the African Union to the post referendum arrangements.
The principles of the AU stipulate the respect of the borders existing since the independence of the member states; but now the issue of the possibility of south secession makes the AU to be in contradiction when it supervises the post referendum arrangements as the result might lead to the splinter of one of its founding member states since it was named the Organization of African Unity.
According to one of the latest reports of the International Crises Group the AU is not only a signing member in the CPA, but also a guarantor and that means that the AU should commit to its charter which necessitates exerting all possible effort to maintain unity in Sudan; but at the same time the AU should respect the self-determination right.
First and foremost, we believe that the two partners of the CPA are responsible to resolve the remaining items of the agreement, but there should be a kind of strong mediator with clear mandate to supervise the post referendum arrangements.
It seems that the SPLM has no confidence in the AU due to the latter's support to the unity option so it would be better for both parties to include others in the arrangements such as the UN and Norway as an example.
The referendum is not an end in itself, but it is just a stage of the peace process and what is badly needed is to spread confidence for administering the referendum and the acceptance of its results to be prepared for its impacts on the ordinary citizens.