2006 Peace Agreement not fulfilled yet

Over 700 Beja militants who voluntarily demobilized after the peace agreement was signed some years ago, with the expectation that they would be given jobs in the Sudanese Army, or in a police force, have been on sit-in strike for almost a month, as they still wait for placements.

From a report on RadioDabanga:

A sit-in strike by 769 demobilised Beja Congress fighters at the Office of Reintegration and Demobilisation in Port Sudan, capital of Red Sea state, has entered its 24th day, apparently without any resolution in sight.

The ex-combatants complain that the government has not absorbed them into the civil and military services as stipulated in the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) signed in 2005.
Hamid Idris, a member of the Legislative Council of Red Sea state, told Radio Dabanga that the demobilised
Beja Congress fighters are maintaining their sit-in for the 24th consecutive day without the national or state governments responding to any of their demands.

Idris cautioned that disregarding the demands of demobilised combatants could lead to an escalation of the situation.

The provisions of the ESPA on security arrangements called for the return of Beja Congress combatants from Eritrea, where they were based, and their integration into the Sudan Armed Forces under Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) supervision.

etc

Beja Congress convention underway in Khartoum

 The Beja Congress has not yet made a decision on freezing their participation in the government despite their grievances about the implementation of the 2006 peace agreement, one of its officials told Sudan Tribune today. The federal government has not paid promised funds offered as part of the ESPA.

The official denied reports that emerged claiming that the Beja Congress decided to pull out from the government during its convention currently underway.
However, he noted that they have reservations on the government's behavior towards them and the progress of the peace agreement.

He stressed once inter-party deliberations are completed they will release a statement outlining their final position.

From the Sudan Tribune, via All Africa.

Sudan budget - $40 M for the east

 Farmers in Tokar region [UN Environment]

The Minister of Finance and National Economy and Chairman of the Board of Director of the Fund for Rehabilitation and Development of East Sudan, Ali Mahmoud, disclosed the assignment of 40 million pounds in the general budget of the fiscal year 2012.

This came during the minister's meeting with directors of the fund administrations in the presence of the Walis (governors) of the three eastern states.

He indicated that the fund will receive support of the expertise of the Ministry of Finance to help attracting more loans for implementing development projects in east Sudan.

The minister also revealed the assignment of 50 million dollars from the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank for the rehabilitation of Halfa Agriculture Scheme, besides the assignment of another 50 million dollars for the rehabilitation of Toker Delta Scheme.

Meanwhile, the State Minister at the Presidency of the Republic, the Executive Director of the Fund for Rehabilitation and Development in East Sudan reviewed the performance of the fund and the projects implemented in the three states of east Sudan in the field of water, electricity, education, besides the implementation of projects through the donors mechanism in the three states.

The implemented projects include the establishment of 16 rural hospitals, and bridges dams in al Gadarif State and water desalination stations in the Red Sea State, filtering stations, and underground water wells in Kassala State.


COMMENT: We note that this budget item is not really new money, since the Khartoum government has previously promised $600 Million, but not paid it. They have made promises before, and not fulfilled them. Still, we are hopeful that these funds will be spent in a way that will help meet the needs of the poorer inhabitants of the east, and not line the pocketbooks of those people already wealthy.

The $100 Million for the agricultural developments is generous, and we hope it will make a real difference for improved land use and better crops. These funds are presumably part of the grants or loans that were pledged at the Kuwait Donors Conference.

Sourced from Sunanews.net

Related articles:
http://adroub.blogspot.com/2011/10/50-million-in-2011-for-agriculture-in.html

http://adroub.blogspot.com/2011/03/interview-with-dr-amna-dirrar.html

Sudanese Feds to complete peace agreement

 Ali Osman Mohamed Taha [sudaneseonline.org]

The Sudan News Agency reports that The First Vice President of the Republic, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, has affirmed the state's support to complete implementation of Eastern Sudan peace, besides pressing ahead with the implementation of development and services projects.

This came when he met Tuesday with the Assistant of the President, Musa Mohamed Ahmed.

The Assistant of the President of the Republic said that the meeting reviewed the efforts being exerted to implement the remaining items of Eastern Sudan peace agreement, announcing that agreement was reached to hold a meeting of the Higher Committee for Implementation of Eastern Sudan Peace on February 20.

He pointed out that the meeting also discussed the political situation in the country, particularly with regard to preparation for the permanent Constitution, stressing the importance of contact with the political forces to realize national consensus on the Constitution.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201201251017.html

ESPA - implementation reviewed

Assistant of the President of the Republic and Deputy chairman of the Higher Committee for implementation of East Sudan Peace Agreement, Musa Mohamed Ahmed, Tuesday chaired a meeting which reviewed the implementation of the items of the East Peace agreement.

The meeting included the Presidential Advisor and official of East Sudan File, Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismail, and Chairman of the Demobilization and Reintegration Commission, Dr. Sulaf-Eddin Salih. In a press statement following the meeting at the Republican Palace, Dr. Ismail said that the meeting was aimed to discuss the item on the demobilization of staff of the Eastern Front, after hearing a report of the Commission's Chairman.

He said that after deliberations the meeting decided to submit a report supported by proposals addressing the item of demobilization and reintegration to the Vice-President of the Republic and Chairman of the Higher Committee, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, prior to issuing the required directives for enforcement of the remaining assignments as soon as possible. Sudan News Agency learned that Dr. Ismail will leave for Kuwait on July 14 to discuss progress of implementation of projects by East Sudan Reconstruction Fund.

AllAfrica.

Interview with Dr. Amna Dirrar

published by Sudan Vision Newspaper.

By: Ibrahim Al-Jack

East Sudan suffered from war throughout recent period however signing of East Peace Agreement has resulted in tangible breakthroughs in east's crisis and number of practical agenda has been set up in coincidence with donors' support to settlement of development in east.

Ibrahim Aal-Jack of Sudan Vision met and interviewed Dr. Amna Dirrar Senior Figure from eastern Sudan, so as to enlighten readers about reality of situations in the east.

Q: We would like you to tell us about East Peace Agreement.
A: Firstly, it's important to mention that east Sudan enjoys a great number of natural resources however the area has been neglected for long. Absence of development has led a number of citizens to rebel. They went to Eritrea and from there armed confrontation began. People in east Sudan suffered much from war between the National Congress Party (NCP) and insurgents.

A large number of the population left their homeland to escape the war. War contributed to raise rate of poverty as well as ignorance. Large groups of people lived in slums on the outskirts of cities. Later, different parties grew to strive for peace after brutality of war had been experienced practically. The agreement addressed basic citizens' basic needs in the east as east's crisis hasn't involved either political or ideological aspects. The agreement is based in particular pivots including security arrangements. The pivot of security arrangements is central in the agreement as it enabled great number of young people fighting the government, to demobilized and reintegrated in society.

Q: Are you satisfied with what has been achieved by the agreement?
 A: About 65 percent of the agreement has already been implemented so far. However, great outputs are expected as soon as the rest of the articles are implemented. Donors Conference convened in Kuwait recently has pushed implementation ahead and I think great efforts as exerted now to implement the agreement comprehensively.

Q: It has been said that the agreement is not more than bilateral political deal between governments of Sudan and Eritrea. Do you agree?
A: No, I don't agree. The agreement is based on profound negotiations between Sudanese government and opposition. What is important is that the agreement provides opposition with great opportunity to work in Sudan.

Q: What is the nature of relations between Eritrean government and opposition in the east?
A: It is a distinguished relation as a number of ethnical as well as cultural ties link east Sudan with Eritrea. In general, our relation with Eritrea is distinguished since it is based on mutual understanding.

Q: How do you evaluate recent crisis erupted in the Red Sea state over property of the port in Port Sudan?
A: I think the port is a national property and its revenue is for all Sudanese people however Maritime Port Authority is required to earmark particular budget from the revenue for development in the east.

Q: Could you inform our readers about East Reconstruction Fund.
A: The objective of the fund is boosting reconstruction in the east. I think USD 600 million is too little to carry out such a magnificent project putting into consideration that the east is a war-affected area however the allocated sum represents  a step forward. I think Donors' Conference conducted in Kuwait is one of the most successful steps towards reconstruction. I think the conference has been successful as it hasn't only pledged to boost reconstruction but it has also taken practical measures to rehabilitate developmental and service projects in the area.

Q: What are the guarantees ensuring implementation of developmental projects?
A: Funds financing these projects guarantee implementation. No project is to be financed unless comprehensive study upon its feasibility is conducted.

Q: What are the advantages of Sitate Dam?
A: It will provide the area with vast areas for cultivation the thing facilitate settlement of citizens residing in the area via providing them with proper job opportunities.

Q: What is your point of view on Halayib issue post change of regime in Egypt?
A: Change of regime doesn't mean change of politics. As the current government in Egypt is a transitional one it is difficult to speak about its stance towards Halayib issue. Anyhow, Halayib is part of Sudan. Current situation won't affect the fact that Halayib is Sudanese.

Q: What is your evaluation to health and educational situations in east Sudan currently?
A: Education in Sudan is less developed compared with other countries. Main challenges hampering development of education in the east are language, poverty, lack of educational institutions in addition to child labor which affect school enrolment negatively. Girls' education is also confronted by number of difficulties. On the other hand, endemic diseases such as TB and Kalazar in addition to maternal mortality in rural areas stand as the main factors threatening people's health in the east. I think great implementation of planned projects will play a great role in resolving these problems.

Q: It is remarkable that east Sudan has been suffering from lack of drinking water for long. Do planned projects put this problem into account?
A: Problem of drinking water has almost been resolved in Port Sudan and Gedarif. Sitate Dam has contributed to resolve the problem effectively. There are projects aiming at drilling artesian wells in addition to projects aiming at establishing stations for water desalination on the Red Sea in addition to water project in Tokar.

Q: Are there split in East Front?
A: East Front is a political party that kicked off negotiations with government on development of the east. Post signature of the agreement number of political forces was formed including Al Osood al Hura and Bija Conference. The emergence of these parties is normal as the new era bears new dimensions. We exerted tangible effort to preserve continuation of different parties as part of East Front however number of difficulties hampered us. We registered the party in the name of East Democratic Party.

Q: Unfortunately East Democratic Party is also witnessing number of disagreements.
A: Inaccurate evaluation of political situations has resulted in the disagreements. Competition on political offices also contributes to increase the agreements. The group that has dismissed me from the party hasn't referred to laws and regulations. This group attributes their mistakes to the chairperson of the party. Anyhow, any chairperson of any party is responsible for indicating the headlines for the party not the details. I think the dismissal is far from laws and regulations directing the party.

Revision of the ESPA ??

Sudan Vision Daily reports that Special Assistant to the President of Sudan, Musa Mohamed Ahmed, returned after a two day visit to Eritrea.

The visit to Asmara allowed conversation with Eritrean officials about the impact of the Referendum in  South Sudan, and the large amounts of money pledged at the Donor's conference in Kuwait.

Additionally, "his talks focused on revising East Sudan Peace Agreement as well as the implementation of the remaining clauses."

Musa described his visit to Asmara as fruitful, explaining that the relations between Sudan and Eritrean have developed greatly through the exchange of continuous visits by officials in the two countries.

He said that there are mutual understandings between the two sides with regard to the implementation of service projects in the border areas.

Anniversary of ESPA signing

The Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement was signed on October 14, 2006, four years ago.

Musa Ahmed on ESPA

Home News: Presidential Advisor Briefs Eritrean Delegation on East Sudan Peace Posted on Tuesday, May 11 @ 10:13:58 BST by admin SUNA

The Assistant of the President of the Republic, Musa Mohammed Ahmed, Sunday briefed the visiting Eritrean delegation, headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Osman Salih, on the latest developments in Sudan and the implementation of East Sudan Peace Agreement.

Musa affirmed in a statement to SUNA after the meeting the important role being played by Eritrea as a mediator of the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement. Ahmed said that the meeting reviewed outcome of the elections in Sudan as well as Eritrea's contribution to the unity of Sudan and the plans for the coming period. He said that the meeting touched on the progress of the relations between Sudan and Eritrea and means of consolidating them further.

http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com//modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=56737
.

More details please - reconstruction of east

This appears to be good news for inhabitants of the Red Sea State etc., but it's more polish than leather, more sizzle than steak. 

From Sudan Vision

East Reconstruction Fund to Implement 12 Projects

http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com//modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=51322
Khartoum- Neimat Al- Naeim
East Development and Reconstruction Fund, three Chinese companies have signed yesterday detailed memos of the Chinese loan projects to implement 12 development projects at the three eastern states: Red Sea, Kassala and Al-Gedarif at $43 million in the context of the Chinese loan.

The Presidential State Minister, Executive Director of the fund Engineer Abu Obeida Mohammed Duj explained, in a press conference, the details of the memos and the achievements of the fund which, by signing the memos, approaches a new stage in implementing the signed contracts with the Chinese companies.

He described the said projects as a leap in kind for the east indicating that the current stage comes following the completion of the 282 relief projects.

Duj affirmed the commitment of the Finance Ministry towards the development projects in Eastern Sudan indicating that SDG 375 million was allocated for the said fund in the budget of the year 2010 affirming that the fund represents a real addition to Eastern Sudan Agreement.

= = = = = =

Here at Adroub.net, we would like to know about  the 12 development projects.

What are they?

Where are they located?

What's their value? Each one might be valued at about $3.5 million. [or not].

Why is there a loan involved? The ESPA promises were going to paid out of general Sudanese revenues, right?

Can we see a list of the completed 282 relief projects, and their costs?

Is the budget for 2010 actually being expanded from what was agreed to in the ESPA?

Why expand the budget if the previous years payments haven't been received?

 

Has Sudan signed too many agreements?

OPINION. Mohamed Ibrahim Nugud, the Political Officer at the Communist Party of Sudan, says that the whole of Sudan is being bogged down and held hostage by a number of unimplemented agreements, reports Al-Ahdath. Speaking at a campus rally in Khartoum, he said that it would be very difficult for the country to come out of the quagmire it is in.


[We've previously drawn attention to the fact that the ESPA has not been fully implemented.]

Beja Congress rep interviewed about ESPA implementation

Eastern Sudan Front Central Committee Member, Beja Conference Spokesman, Salah Barkwein, stated that the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) Security Arrangements file leads other Agreement' files in terms of implementation.

He demanded commitment to availing the sum of $600 million earmarked to Eastern Sudan Reconstruction and Development Fund (ESRDF) as one of the components of the Wealth Sharing Protocol of ESPA, regretting that the ESRDF has received only $30 million yet. 

On the occasion of the 3rd anniversary of ESPA sealing, Barkwein attributed the slow implementation of the Agreement to the fact that the return home of the Eastern Front troops was one year late accusing parties he refused to name of procrastinating on that process for special agenda. He uttered the statement without excluding the adverse impact of the international financial crisis on oil prices, public budget, hence implementation of the peace agreement. 


The Beja Conference spokesman believes that the current stage dictates a huge political work that requires collaboration of efforts for expediting completion of pending issues and files.

Responding to Sudan Vision interview, he called on political entities and parties that have emerged in Eastern Sudan Region to work for the welfare of the people, rather than being tools for foreign parties targeting fragmentation of the country.

He further pointed to the pioneering role played by the Beja Conference ever since its establishment in 1958 and its devotion to life promotion in the region and alleviation of grievances.

In that context, Eastern Front Chief in Kassala reported efforts exerted for implementation of development projects beyond the framework of the ESPA, speaking high of Qatar and China contributions in that respect.

Moreover, he stressed the criticality of assigning more emphasis on Seitiet project for its high potential contribution to Sudan economy at large, calling on rehabilitation of war-ravaged area and de-mining of areas which were battlefields for over 20 years.

Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement was signed between the Government of National Unity and Eastern Sudan Front in Oct. 14th, 2006.

http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=50453
.
COMMENT: The federal government promised to allocate $100 million per year, and it now 3 years since signing and only $30 million has been distributed.  The math is simply that $300 million should have made it's way to helping redevelop the east, and yet only one tenth of that has been paid.  Looks like the government made big promises in order to shut down a rebellion, and low level insurgency. Having got what they wanted, they now feel no compulsion to deliver anything more, though they promised in point 80, on page 20 of the Eastern Sudan Peace Agreement. You can get your own copy here.
http://www.sudanembassy.ca/Docs/peace/Eastern_Sudan_Peace_Agreement.pdf

UPDATE: Nov 2011. Found an article written this week in 2009, in Arabic, that calls for accountability for the funds. Where's the money? How has it been spent? Has it been spent wisely?
Read it in English [machine translated].
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ar&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://www.sudaneseonline.com/ar/article_23920.shtml&usg=ALkJrhi02X4vBr8qfIQK8dTEnoY9KYHfYg#top

Read it in Arabic
http://www.sudaneseonline.com/ar/article_23920.shtml

President of Sudan given information about the needs of the east

From Sudan Vision Daily

Al-Bashir Calls for more Concern with Socio-Economic Development in East Sudan
Posted on Thursday, October 15 @ 11:29:56 BST by admin

  Khartoum - SUNA
President of the Republic, Field Marshal Omer Al-Bashir, has called for concern with the socio-economic development in east Sudan. This came when he received in his office Tuesday the Presidential Advisor, Dr. Amina Dirar, who acquainted him on the implementation of East Sudan peace agreement.

In a statement to SUNA after the meeting, Dr. Amina Dirar referred to preparations to hold a donors conference toward pushing ahead the economic development process, combating poverty and providing basic services such as education, health and water in east Sudan.

http://bit.ly/2QG27y

Comment: The East Sudan Peace Agreement was signed in November 2006, between the national government and representatives of the Eastern Front, in Asmara, Eritrea. One of the items in the Agreement was that an Eastern Front person [preferably a Beja] would be appointed as Presidential Advisor. Another was that $600 million would be made available for development in the east, spread over a few years.

Do Eastern Front representatives actually have capacity for spending $100 million per year?

Now it appears that a donors conference is being developed. If it is about recruiting more funds, that would difficult to justify unless clear accounts of previous expenditures were made known. If it is about donors offering expertise and resources to fulfill the plans for removing the marginalization of the East, that may be of real value in bringing people and organizations together that could make a real difference.

It is certainly good news that President Bashir is calling for action.

The very question of fulfilling the ESPA has been raised previously on this blog

http://adroub.blogspot.com/2008/08/is-espa-not-working.html

and

http://adroub.blogspot.com/2008/06/what-are-best-decisions.html
.