The Joint Security Committee of South Sudan and Sudan concluded its meetings in Khartoum last Thursday, 28 November. The talks, co-chaired by the intelligence chiefs of both Khartoum and Juba, the capital of South Sudan, Siddiq Amer and Mag Paul, addressed confidence-building measures regarding borders and rebel groups. Delegates of the two countries agreed on a new set of security measures, including the opening of crossing points and an interim “zero line” defining their borders. More significantly, Khartoum and Juba both pledged to stop aiding and abetting any rebels acting against the central governments in both countries. Peace initiatives regarding Darfur, South Kordofan, and the Blue Nile were also discussed during the meeting, as well as the future of the oil-rich region of Abyei. The next round of talks will be held in January 2014 in Juba. During the same session, Sudanese and South Sudanese officials agreed to release prisoners of war held by both sides. They also promised to redeploy their troops on the borders in accordance with African Union mediation. The outcome of the meeting is bound to consolidate the powers of the central governments in Khartoum and Juba, while curbing the activities of the rebel groups seeking to oust them. Of particular importance is the decision to discontinue military assistance to armed groups on both sides of the borders. If implemented to the letter, the challenge to Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir from the SPLM-North, a rebel group, will be blunted, as this movement is believed to rely heavily on Juba's support. Delineating the interim zero line between the two countries was high on the agenda, as both Juba and Khartoum need to resolve the questions of monitoring and implementation. In a gesture of long-awaited reconciliation, the Sudanese and South Sudanese delegations agreed to release all prisoners ahead of the next round of talks in January 2014. The security agreement was greeted with relief abroad. Following the session, the US sent special envoy Donald Booth to discuss current peace efforts. Analysts also believe that the deal may force the rebels in Darfur, South Kordofan and the Blue Nile to come to the negotiating table. This, some say, is why Khartoum has been postponing its negotiations with the SPLM-North, which were underway in March 2013. Now that Juba has promised to stop aiding rebels in Sudan, the SPLM-North may find itself in a weaker position in future negotiations. The practical repercussions of the deal are as yet unclear, especially with regard to the discontinuation of aid to rebels on both sides. Juba has consistently denied giving any aid to rebel groups in Sudan. But now it seems to have more reasons to match its words with deeds. The spokesman for the South Sudanese army, Philip Aguer, recently stated that the 9th and 10th Battalions of the SPLM-North had “no relations whatsoever” with the army of South Sudan. Khartoum is likely to stress the need to monitor the borders and prevent any arms supplies to its opponents ahead of future talks. One crucial question is whether the rebel movements can continue to challenge the authority of Khartoum even without help from South Sudan. While many of these groups are sufficiently self-reliant to go on fighting with a minimum of foreign help, if the leaders of the rebel groups are blocked from travelling freely to South Sudan, rallying political support to their cause in international forums may prove harder. There are already signs that this new agreement between Khartoum and Juba may stick. When Salva Kiir, the South Sudan president, shuffled his government a few months ago, Khartoum was pleased since there was now a government in Juba that was not packed with critics of Al-Bashir and his government. Meanwhile, Egypt's Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmi said that the international and regional community should encourage constructive dialogue between Khartoum and Juba. Fahmi, who conferred in Cairo with US envoy Booth, added that the talks between Khartoum and Juba offered the best opportunity for resolving outstanding issues.
