After an arduous summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, President Omar al-Bashir of North Sudan and President Salva Kiir of South Sudan signed several deals centered on disputes over border demarcation and some other outstanding issues. Although not all of the details have been made public, representatives of both sides have stated that the deals involved created a demilitarized zone 10 kilometers from their disputed border, sanctioned a military withdrawal of their troops from the buffer zone, and a resumption of oil exports by South Sudan via the North. Noticeably, however, no terms have been settled for the future of the disputed border region of Abyei, although a South Sudanese spokesman told reporters that the two sides had agreed to meet for another round of talks devoted mainly the discussion of border disputes. A North Sudanese spokesperson also expressed optimism over future efforts to settle the outstanding issues between the two countries.
Given the continued instability in the Middle East, the hope for peace in Sudan has is a breath of fresh air in the MENA region. Since South Sudan’s declaration of independence, the international community has kept a watchful eye on the bilateral relations between Khartoum and Juba. Almost immediately the two governments fell out of the other’s favor, as might have been widely expected. How the countries choose to resolve this situation, whether it be peacefully or through armed conflict, is up to the their leaders. True cooperation can only be achieved through the patience, wisdom, courage and strategic foresight of the international community and the two Sudans. The international community, especially the United Nations and the African Union, has spared no efforts to push the two countries toward a peaceful settlement of their disputes. The UN Security Council, for instance, has set a deadline for the two to ink a peace accord, and threatened to punish them with sanctions if they should fail to meet this deadline. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also urged the leaders of the two countries to settle their disputes at the earliest date possible and ‘put an end to the era of disputes’ at their summit in Addis Ababa.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and good friend of both North and South Sudan, China has not only stood firm by the UN and the AU in their efforts, but also maintained close contact with the two countries. China takes the same stand as the United States in matters concerning a peaceful settlement of these disputes between North and South Sudan, and Beijing’s special representative on African issues and the US special envoy on Sudanese affairs have also collaborated on many occasions, including efforts at the UN Security Council. Exercise of will and strategic judgment by all parties concerned is a necessary precondition for a successful peace accord.
Given the prolonged difficulties in the MENA region, it was really encouraging to see President Bashir and President Kiir agree to a settlement through consultation and negotiation, as opposed to military actions. It was understandable for the Republic of Sudan to feel uncomfortable about the secession of South Sudan. It will also take some time, meanwhile, for the government of South Sudan to build the necessary experience to develop its experience into a well-established member of the international community after its hard-won independence. After all, the two heads of state inked several deals during their summit, and promised to continue their talks for an overarching accord. This is a necessary step that will both serve the fundamental interests of their peoples, and contributed positively to peace and stability in the region. Since the deals also covered oil exports by South Sudan, they are no doubt a blessing to our world now struggling to recover from the global economic crisis.
As instability continues across the MENA region, the leaders of some countries are still keen to resort to the threat of force against each other. These situations have inspired this author to hope that the international community further encourages efforts similar to the agreements by Khartoum and Juba, and render them greater support and encouragement.
The author is a member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and member on the Foreign Policy Consulting Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
