Addis Ababa, 8th June 2012: On 29 May 2012, the Lead Negotiating Panel of

the Republic of Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan resumed negotiations

in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to discuss the implementation of the African Union

Peace and Security Council Roadmap of 24 April 2012, as endorsed by the

United Nations Security Council in Resolution 2046 (2012). The Parties

adopted a joint Plan of Action for implementation of the Roadmap.

Security Issues

The two States held the first session of an Extraordinary Meeting of the

Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JPSM). The JPSM will remain in

session through the next weeks, to ensure compliance with the Parties’

obligations under the Roadmap.

During this first session, the Parties discussed a number of urgent security

matters.  They committed themselves immediately to deploy their national

observers to the temporary headquarters of the Joint Border Verification and

Monitoring Mission (JBVMM), in Assosa, Ethiopia. The two sides also agreed

to nominate representatives to activate the Ad Hoc Committee, a body agreed

by the Parties to deal with allegations and counter allegations between the

two States.

Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to respect the cessation of

hostilities and the unconditional withdrawal of forces to their side of the

border. They agreed to cease harbouring and supporting rebels against the

other State.

During this session, the Parties discussed extensively the geographical

definition of the Safe Demilitarised Border Zone (SDBZ) and a temporary

security line between the two countries. The Parties have made substantive

progress on this matter, and the Government of South Sudan has indicated its

acceptance of the AUHIP security and administrative map submitted to the

Parties in November 2011. The Government of Sudan proposed to complete

discussions on the geographical area of the SDBZ during the forthcoming

session of the Extraordinary Meeting of the JPSM later this month.

Negotiations on this matter will continue at the next session.

Abyei

The Parties also discussed the situation in Abyei: they addressed a range of

issues relating to the temporary administrative arrangements for Abyei, in

particular the composition of the Abyei Area Administration and Executive

Council, the withdrawal of armed forces from the region, and questions

relating to humanitarian provision for the population, among others.

In its meeting, the Abyei Joint Oversight Committee (AJOC) expressed

appreciation for the work of the United Nations Interim Security Force for

Abyei, in providing security for the displaced population of Abyei, as well

as the pastoralist groups moving through the Area. The parties provisionally

endorsed the Terms of Reference of the Joint Monitoring and Observer

Committee (JMOC) and agreed to formally adopt the terms of reference at its

next session, to be held in Abyei on 5 July 2012. The JMOC is expected to

play a key role in the provision of security in Abyei.

The AJOC also agreed to discuss the Terms of Reference of the Abyei Police

Service at its next meeting. In the interim, the parties will engage the

Humanitarian Commissions of Sudan and South Sudan to facilitate the

provision of assistance to displaced persons, who have begun to return to

Abyei in significant numbers since the withdrawal of the South Sudan Police

Service and the Sudan Armed Forces from Abyei, in compliance with the

Roadmap.

The Panel will continue its engagement with the Parties who will return to

Addis Ababa on 19th June 2012, to continue with their negotiations in

accordance with the Roadmap, commencing with negotiations on boundary

disputes.

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June 7, 2012 (KHARTOUM)- Sudan and South Sudan delegations at the

level of the Joint Political and Security Mechanism (JSPM) have ended

the first round of talks after failing to endorse a map to establish a

buffer zone between the two countries.

Khartoum’s delegation last Tuesday rejected a map proposed by the

South Sudanese delegation including new disputed areas such as Heglig.

On Wednesday, the mediation proposed a new map aiming to reconcile the

position of the two parties but the South Sudanese delegation reject

it.

On Thursday, the parties ended a three-hour meeting where they

discussed the proposal of the mediator, without reaching an agreement.

While Sudan’s representatives praised the compromise saying it is

based on 1956 border, the South Sudanese sides rejected it.

After the meeting, Sudan’s defense minister, Abdel-Rahim Hussein, held

a press conference in Addis Ababa where he announced the failure of

the talks and accused Juba of lacking a serious desire to reach a

prompt and fair agreement.

He said that South Sudan made new land claims raising the number of

contested border areas to nine. Sudan initially said the number of

disputed border areas was limited to four.

"The border is based on a map that we have been using for the past six

years, but they have included five areas within their border," Abdel

Rahim said.

"We consider it as a hostile action," he further stressed.

The South Sudanese delegation headed by defense minister, John Kong

Nyuon, refused to comment on the failure of the talks but they

confirmed that no deal has been reached.

According to Juba delegation the contested areas are: 1- the mineral

rich Kafia Kinji area on the border of South Darfur and Western Bahr

al Ghazal; 2- the 14 mile area located on the border of South Darfur

and Northern Bahr al Ghazal; 3- Abyei; 4- Kharasana and Heglig areas

near South Kordofan and Unity states border; 5- Kaka on the border of

South Kordofan and Upper Nile; 6- Megenis Mountains located between

Upper Nile and South Kordofan; 7- a small portion of land on the

border between White Nile and Upper Nile; 8- Gulli area, on the

northern border of Blue Nile and Upper Nile states; 9- Chali al Fil on

the southern border of the Blue Nile and Upper Nile.

Before the security issues, the row over the border impacted

negatively on the implementation of Comprehensive Peace Agreement

particularly in the redeployment of troops, wealth sharing, census,

and 2010 elections.

The demarcation process, in accordance with the CPA, had to be

finalised by a joint technical team before the start of the interim

period and immediately after the signing of the 2005 peace agreement a

six months frame time.

Thabo Mbeki will travel to New York to brief the United Nations

Security Council (UNSC) about the latest development in the process

and the JSPM members will resume discussions within two weeks.

The ministerial committee was supposed to establish a demilitarised

zone along the border between the two countries with joint monitoring

team to stop rebel infiltration through the 2000 kilometer border.

Following the capture of Heglig by the South Sudanese army in April,

the UNSC adopted an African Union road map providing to end the talks

over the disputed issues with three months.

(ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/Sudan-S-Sudan-end-first-security,42858

June 7, 2012 (KHARTOUM) - The African Union mediation team has

proposed a new map of Sudan and South Sudan’s borders to the two

delegations in order to facilitate an agreement on security issues

between the two sides, as the talks are currently deadlocked.

Sudan has refused a map presented by the South Sudan which includes

the disputed area between South Darfur and Northern Bahr al Ghazal

within South Sudan. The 14 miles of land located south of the Bahr el

Arab / Kiir River, is a grazing area crucial for the Darfur tribes and

Dinka Malual.

Sudan also rejects any claims over Heglig, saying that before its

independence, South Sudan had accepted the rule of the arbitration

court over Abyei and did not contest it.

The African Union mediation team on Wednesday has handed a new map to

the two parties in a bid to reconcile their positions, Sudan Tribune

has learnt.

In the past the border demarcation joint committee has agreed on four

areas: between the Upper Nile and White Nile; a triangle between the

South Kordofan, Upper Nile and White Nile borders; Kaka, between South

Kordofan and Upper Nile; and the mineral rich Kafia Kinji area located

between South Darfur and Western Bahr al Ghazal.

The parties have to reach an agreement within three months in

accordance with a road map prepared by the African Union and endorsed

by the United Nations Security Council.

(ST) http://www.sudantribune.com/African-mediation-proposes-new-map,42845