A new Sudanese cabinet was sworn-in as tensions between Chad and Sudan escalated, writes Gamal Nkrumah The week that witnessed the public rapprochement between the two main partners in Sudan's coalition government of national unity, was also as it happened the one when Sudan clashed with its neighbour Chad. This has, indeed, been a particularly precarious week for Sudan. First, a new Sudanese cabinet was sworn-in. The new cabinet, formed after the two-month withdrawal of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) from the government of national unity, points to some key shifts within the movement's political calculations. What is clearly apparent is that in spite of the reconciliation between the National Congress Party (NCP) of President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir, and the SPLM, the new cabinet portfolios were filled by seasoned politicians who are known to be resolute critics of the NCP. Nevertheless, the urgency in which the deal was struck, in frantic negotiations throughout December, was a symptom of Sudanese determination to secure peace. And so it may be. But, the appointment of Deng Alor to replace Lam Akol was an exemplary pointer to the change of emphasis. Lam Akol was regarded as closer politically to the NCP. Akol, an ethnic Shilluk, was regarded by the mainstream SPLM as accepting the NCP line over Darfur. The SPLM is far more accommodating over the cause of the Darfur armed opposition groups and is openly sympathetic to their demands. Lam Akol, on the other hand, was clearly pro-NCP as far as the Darfur issue was concerned. And, he argued at several international forums against the handing over of Sudanese Minister for Humanitarian Affairs Ahmed Mohamed Haroun and Janjaweed militia leader Moussa Hilal to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for gross human rights violations. Deng Alor, an ethnic Dinka, is noted for his militant support of the rights of the marginalised peoples of Sudan. What is seen in Khartoum as an increasingly obstreperous SPLM will be confirmed by such changes in the SPLM ministerial portfolios. The SPLM had wanted the Ministry of Energy because it protests that oil revenues have not been equally distributed. The SPLM notes that most of Sudan's oil is produced in southern Sudan or in disputed areas such as Abiye and along the north-south divide. Deng Alor, formerly minister for cabinet affairs, is known to be an outspoken critic of the NCP. His former post was taken up by another southern stalwart, the Secretary- General of the SPLM Pagan Amum. He was a close associate of the late SPLM leader John Garang and is known as something of a southern hardliner in NCP circles. He has been persistently critical of the NCP. However, he sounded far more reconciliatory after the swearing-in ceremony which took place at the Republican Palace in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and was officiated by both the Sudanese president and his first vice-president and SPLM leader Silva Kiir. Kiir's visit to Washington last year demonstrated the diametrically-opposed positions of the Sudanese president and his first vice-president. Apparently, Kiir had softened his approach to prickly issues that had caused the rift between his SPLM and the NCP and threatened to abrogate the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in 2005 between the SPLM and the NCP. A similar repertoire was voiced by Mansour Khaled, a northerner and a former Sudanese foreign and education minister, and yet another vociferous critic of the NCP and the Islamists in general. "We are now looking forward to a new phase after the two parties have overcome their differences and we look to working in the coming phase to implement what has been agreed upon," noted Khaled after he was named special presidential adviser. The upbeat euphoria that gripped Sudan in the aftermath of the signing of the CPA can now be consigned to history. And, some southerners would argue, the matter need not be settled. They are particularly incensed that the Sudanese army has not withdrawn from southern Sudan as stipulated by the CPA. Meanwhile, the relationship between Chad and Sudan, never an easy one, deteriorated sharply this week. Sudan accused Chad of violating Sudanese territorial integrity. The Sudanese authorities claimed that Chadian warplanes bombed the towns of Rejl Al-Harzayeh and Karmoulah in western Darfur. In recent months attacks on the foreign- operated oilfields have intensified. The Sudanese have consistently warned of provocations by the Chadian regime of President Idris Deby. The stormy relationship between the two neighbouring countries has been characterised by mutual suspicions of their respective governments meddling in each other's internal affairs and arming opposition groups. Be that as it may, the international peace efforts in Darfur also resumed with the peacekeeping troops heading for Darfur. On New Year's Day some 9,000 peacekeeping troops were deployed in the war-torn Sudanese westernmost province. The first batch of 26,000 peacekeeping troops arrived in Darfur on New Year's Day. The Egyptian contingent of 1,200 flew out to Darfur yesterday. European troops are supposed to protect the refugee camps and the Egyptian troops are to be deployed in the western part of Darfur. Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit declared that he was especially concerned about the tensions between Sudan and Chad. The two neighbouring countries traded insults and accusations. Sudan claims that the Chadian authorities are supporting armed opposition groups in Darfur, a claim refuted by the Chadian government. It is hoped that the presence of a large and well-equipped international peacekeeping force with proper logistical support will assist in inaugurating peace in Darfur. The United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMIS) consists of 20,000 troops and 6,000 policemen. Now that an American aid official has been shot dead this week, Sudan should indeed be wary of actions that make its posture in the international arena even weaker than it is.
