Talks between the governments and rebels of Sudan and South Sudan got underway in Addis Ababa a week ago, with UN and African negotiators trying to mediate a political settlement to the ongoing conflicts in both countries. In the first set of talks, delegates of the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) met to discuss the crisis in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile. Leading the Khartoum delegation was presidential assistant Ibrahim Ghandour, while Yasir Arman led the SPLM-North delegation. During the talks, SPLM-N negotiators pressed for a comprehensive solution for all the strife-ridden areas of Sudan, Darfur included. The government refused to accommodate the request, preferring instead to handle each set of problems separately. Officials of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), meanwhile, reiterated that the recent initiative by President Omar Al-Bashir had the potential of restoring peace all over Sudan. Earlier talks between Khartoum and the SPLM-N collapsed with both sides accusing the other of inflexibility. One of the reasons for the failure of earlier talks is that the SPLM-N insisted on political reforms allowing more partisan and civil society involvement in decision-making. For its part, the NCP delegation said that Khartoum was fully committed to Security Council Resolution 2046. Government negotiators added that the humanitarian agreement Khartoum signed with the SPLM-N on 4 August 2012 is still valid and can go into effect without further delay. Both the NCP and the SPLM-N agreed to a ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian relief to conflict zones. But observers fear that promises made at the negotiating table may not lead to substantive action unless the international community brings more pressure to bear on both sides. A lasting political settlement would be harder to negotiate, but both the government and the SPLM-N promised to bring rival proposals to the table and discuss a compromise solution addressing the underlying causes of the strife. African mediator Thabo Mbeki had to interfere in previous rounds of talks to ensure that both sides would continue to seek a political settlement despite the repeated eruption of hostilities. The African Union's Peace and Security Council called on the international community, the US, the EU and the IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development) countries to pressure both sides into signing and implementing a peace agreement. In a related development, Mohamed Bin Shambas, joint representative of the EU and the UN in Darfur, held talks with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in an effort to reach an agreement that may end the decade-long war in Darfur. Current efforts are geared towards bringing some of the factions that have not signed the Doha peace agreement to agree to its terms. Meanwhile, seven men of the 11 held by Juba on charges of staging a coup against President Salva Kiir arrived in Addis Ababa to take part in the negotiations between the Juba government and the rebel factions led by former Vice President Riek Machar. Juba is still holding four others in prison on the same charges, including Pagan Amum, the former secretary general of South Sudan's ruling party. Despite the ongoing peace talks in Addis Ababa, fighting between the supporters of Kiir and the factions loyal to Machar continued unabated in various parts of the country. Speaking for the released seven, former justice minister John Luk Jok thanked IGAD negotiators for their efforts and promised to support the African mediated peace initiative for South Sudan. The released men urged Juba to release the remaining four prisoners, saying that their incarceration may hamper the chances for peace. The seven men said they would attend negotiations as a “third party”, to urge an inclusive political settlement. They pointed out that civil society, women, youth and intellectuals must have a say in the current debate over the country's future. Talks between Kiir's government and the rebels supporting Machar ran into several obstacles, including the repeated intervention of Uganda in South Sudan. Differences between SPLM leaders, which led to the current crisis, escalated in the past few months due to attempts by Kiir to purge the SPLM of his opponents and promote younger members who are more loyal to him. But at the root of the current conflict are issues of tribal rivalries and control of the country's oil-rich areas. As the conflict between the president and his former vice president took on tribal overtones, observers expect talks aiming to bring peace and prosperity to Africa's newest nation to be long and arduous.
