Guys read the artical below and make some prediction about why this crook guys visit our home town. For me I think he did this for his political interest, correct me if I am wrong.
News Article by AP posted on January 16, 2005 at 23:15:13: EST (-5 GMT)
Sudan's president vows army will protect southern peace treaty
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) -- President Omar el-Bashir vowed that the Sudanese army, which fought rebels in the south for more than 20 years, would now defend the peace agreement concluded earlier this month with those same rebels.
El-Bashir spoke Saturday evening to government troops at a garrison in the southern Bahr El-Ghazal state during his tour to laud the peace agreement signed with the Sudan People's Liberation Army, the official Sudan News Agency reported.
"We will not allow any side, be it local or foreign, to spoil this peace, and the armed forces will stand as a strong defense to prevent any such attempt, " el-Bashir told government troops in Aweil garrison.
Aweil, 840 kilometers (525 miles) southwest of Khartoum, is the second largest city in Bahr El-Ghazal state, the stronghold of the Dinka tribal groups that constitute the backbone of the SPLA fighters and from which came SPLA leader John Garang.
El-Bashir's government and the SPLA signed the peace treaty Jan. 9 to end Africa's longest war, which began in 1983 after southerners rebelled, seeking autonomy and control of their resources. Sectarian and ethnic divisions overlaid the conflict that pitted the black, mostly Christian and animist southerners against the Arab and Islamic north.
Two days after signing the agreement, el-Bashir started touring the war-ravaged south on a celebratory swing through former rebel territory. He interrupted his tour on Thursday to brief the ruling National Congress party in Khartoum on the peace agreement and flew south again Saturday to Bahr El-Ghazal state, the heart of Sudan's oil fields.
El-Bashir accused those who coveted Sudan's oil wealth of being behind the country's troubles.
"Sudan has been targeted because of its resources, thus many parties would not accept to see Sudan living in peace and stability," he said, without naming the parties. "The army will be receiving advanced training, with the view to protect peace."
Under the peace accord, northerners and southerners will share the natural resources along with legislative power. Southern states will be secular, while the northern ones will observe Islamic law. Southerners will also be able to vote in a referendum on self-determination in six years' interim period.
El-Bashir said a joint force composed of 24,000 troops from the army and the SPLA would be formed while the rest of the government troops in the south would be pulled back to their units in the north, leaving the internal security for the police force.
Thank you a lot Mabior Ngang for forwarding this article to us. Everything Bashir says has to be receive with a lot of suspicion. Bashir can not be trusted, he is someone with incredible cretability problem, his talk about retraining the army has something fishy about it. We don't want training of armies now, we need building of schools, hospitals, roads etc. He funded army in the last 22 years and nothing came out of it except unnecessary lost of lives, if all the revenue was channelled into developmental activities, Sudan could be a strong economic power in the region now. If he came to Aweil town to tell people of his plan to strengthen his military, then it was a time wasted.
Thank for the article, it worth reading. Anything Bashir says is always inconsistant and contrary to the interest of southerners and sudan at large. The man is only launching compaign for unity after six years of interim period, something that will be a big blow if we southnerners vote for unity again with arabs. Never trust an arab on what he/she says, they are known for being dishonest people. Only independent south sudan is our ulitmate goal.
Santino Ajith
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Nothing is possible without fair distribution of power and wealth.
Thanks once again for that wonderful article. In my opinion, Bashir is trying to pursue his agenda for the united Sudan and that is why he will strive to implement the peace deal. I strongly believe that this crooked gentleman will impress us during this interim period so as to blindfold those who wouldn't see behind the mask. It is now our responsibility to stay alert. As for me and my family we shall enjoy the peaceful co-existence with our brothers but we shall think differently when the time for referendum arrives.
Thanks for bringing this article on board so that we the citizens have an opportunity to view it. The war is over and the remaining part for us to achieve our fully freedom shall be accomplished politically and it is very sensitive. Thus we need to be careful and make sure we reach where we to go to. Exactly as it has been put by Kuot training of the army in Aweil town has nothing to do with the development of the area. El-Bashir has seen how he was received in Nairobi by the Sudanese community in East Africa and those who came down from home and abroad. Garang who don’t even paid southerners with salary was in a better position than El Bashir. He has to realize that people in southern Sudan are tied of him and the ruling bodies in Khartoum. The south will not be in a position to tolerate any longer the ruling party in Khartoum and therefore separation of the south “whether El Bashir want or not” was pledged during the signing ceremony at his present and it is unavoidable. We have started from very far and we are almost there and we must be there. El Bashir and those Arabist/Islamists who were with government during the liberation struggle period came to attend the signing on the 9th January and they saw very clearly the feeling of the southerners. The southerners- Islamists and Arabist whom were with El Bashir continues to be with him but won’t affect us since they have been there during the war time and we managed to do without them.
This is what President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya told Kenyans during his campaign for presidency in 2002. His opponents were the riches in Kenya and he (Kibaki) told Kenyans: take the money when you are given but vote for the person you want. So our people with government should learn that.
With my kind regards
Tong Deng
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Thank you all for your ideas. I think all of us knows political behind evil leaders from both sides. Through experiences in the last two decades, we have massives lost of our belove brave men and women in the war. Tong Deng, indeed we need to keep our eyes open to the challenges ahead of us. War is over but intenal problems are not over among Southerners themsleves. I want Awiel people to remain themselves commited to the freedom they died for. people from Southern Sudan believe that we Awiel citizens we are proletariate in anythings when action is need. I am thrills you all knows the deception behind, my last prediction during intrime period I am too skeptical about Awiel is going to be battle ground for politics for both Sudan government and the S.P.L.A. Non of the above is not going do anything for our people at home, it is our moral responsibility as citizens of that part of the country neglected during the war to bring changes to our people. We need to be vigilance about political games in this new era.
Thanks you
There is no where better than home, Home is always better
