Sudan peace negotiators to visit RP
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 02/05/2009 2:03 PM
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Former negotiators and advisors on the South Sudan peace process will arrive in the Philippines this Sunday to meet with government officials, representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and civil society groups.
Nyasha Masiwa, advisor to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM); Ahmed Sabiel, advisor to the Government of Sudan; and Kelvin Ong, advisor to the United Nations; will brief the Office of the Presidential Advisor on the Peace Process in Manila on February 8. The group will then travel to Cagayan de Oro, Davao and Camp Darapanan to meet with civil society and MILF officials.
The visit was organized by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, which is active is in a number of conflict resolution projects around the world including the Philippines.
David Gorman from the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue said the conflict between North and South Sudan and the subsequent Southern Sudan Agreement "might offer some important lessons for Mindanao, both good and bad."
The conflict began in 1982 when the primarily Christian south launched an insurgency against the Arab north. It was considered the largest single conflict since World War II and resulted in the deaths of four million Sudanese civilians.
"The 2005 series of settlements, often referred to as the Naivasha and Machakos Accords, resulted in far reaching autonomy for the south, a sharing of resources and disposition of military forces" Gorman said.
"Importantly there are many parallels between the two regions such as the proliferation of arms and armed militias and in the negotiation processes such as self-determination, disposition of forces, plebiscites and the equitable distribution of resources. This should make for very interesting and we hope constructive exchanges with the Government and the MILF especially as those two parties prepare to restart talks," he said.
