AFRICA/SUDAN - Info:

Rome ( Fides Service) - Sudan is the largest country in Africa with an area of 2 million 505,000 810 sq. km., and a population of 32,559,000 (density 0.07%). It borders to the north with Egypt, to the west with Libya, Chad and Central African republic to the south with DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, and south east with Ethiopia and Eritrea, and to the east with the Red Sea. From the geographical point of view Sudan can be divided in 3 regions: northern desert, central plains and southern tropical forests. Most of the people live along the River Nile which crosses the country for 1,500 km and has cotton plantations on its banks.
In Sudan there are over 570 ethnic groups. In the north and centre there are people of Arab descent, Nuba and Beja. Black people live in the south but for years millions of people from the south took refuge in the north, particularly in the capital Khartoum to escape civil war. The largest southern ethnic groups include Nilotics, Nilo-Camitics and some Bantu groups. 44.2% of the population is between the age of 0 and 14.
Conflicts in Sudan. The main conflict started in 1983 in the south when the then President Gaafar al-Nimeiry ended the South’s statute of autonomy and installed Sharia Muslim law. This caused a new outbreak of conflict which had ended in 1972. Colonel John Garang sent to the south to put down the rebellion joined the separatist Sudan Peoples Liberation SPLA the armed wing of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement SPLM.
The war between the SPLA and the Sudanese regular army created a series of minor conflicts which were confused with the fight against the central government Both Khartoum and the SPLA exploited ethnic divisions among the local people supporting militia groups which committed atrocities against civilians which became the main target of the warring factions.
In over 20 years the conflict caused the death of 2 million people and put millions more to flight. According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees Sudan has over 2 million internally displaced persons and about 500,000 refugees in other countries.
After years of negotiations in 2005 a peace agreement was reached between Khartoum and the M/SPLA.
The central point of the agreement was an interim period with a national unity government for 6 years and 6 months. Half way through there will be elections. After the six years and six months the people of the south may decide with a referendum, to be part of a federal state or to have full independence.
The agreement stipulated that the president should be an expression of the Khartoum government and the first vice president of the SPLA but he will not have full power in the absence of the president. A second vice president will represent the north. National position of government, parliament will be distributed as follows: 70 per cent North, 30 per cent for independence supporters. For special regions the fundamental role of governor will go to leaders connected with the SPLA, but 60 per cent of the rest of the political positions will go to men of Khartoum.
Another debated point regarded the application of Sharia Islamic law which should be applied in the north but not in the south. With regard to the capital Khartoum, where there are many Christian and Animist refugees from the south, there will be a compromise: during the interim period Sharia will be applied in the capital to Muslims only. According to the agreement oil profits will be shared by the central government and the southern administration.
On 20 September 2005 the first national unity government of Sudan was formed at the end of weeks of difficult discussion. The executive includes 29 ministers (2 are women) and 33 deputy ministers (2 are women), as well as 12 presidential advisors (one is a woman) with the rank of minister.
Excluded from the agreement the western Sudanese region of Darfur, bordering on Chad. Here since February 2003 there has been a ferocious war between the army backed by pro-government militia and two guerrilla movements claiming more government attention for the development of the region. For years Darfur has been the centre of tension between Arab herdsmen and farmers descendants of the first people who lived here. The conflict has no inter-religious dimension because the warring parties are all Muslims. War in Darfur has caused at least 20,000 deaths, 2 million internally displaced persons and 200,000 refugees in Chad. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 12/12/2005 righe 65 parole 882)