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| Monday, November 12, 2001, updated at 08:41(GMT+8) |
Nigeria's Peace Efforts in Sudan Commended |
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The Sudanese government has commended Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo for his plans to host a peace conference on Sudan in an effort to resolve the northeast African country's civil conflict, the News Agency of Nigeria reported on Sunday.
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The Sudanese government has commended Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo for his plans to host a peace conference on Sudan in an effort to resolve the northeast African country's civil conflict, the News Agency of Nigeria reported on Sunday.
Sudanese Ambassador to Nigeria Abdel Khalil told the agency in an interview that he is optimistic that with the renewed determination to rid the African continent of conflicts, Obasanjo will succeed in his thorny task to help find a peaceful solution to the Sudanese crisis.
"With the commitment of Obasanjo, who is fully abreast of Sudan's running civil war, was optimistic that his efforts would be fruitful," Khalil said, adding that the Sudanese government is ready to work closely with Nigeria to achieve the objectives.
Nigeria almost succeeded in settling the Sudanese crisis in 1992, but for the fact that the southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) refused to sign the agreement that was reached at the meeting, the envoy said.
The SPLA rebels have been fighting for greater autonomy for the predominantly Christian and animist south since 1983.
He said that the proposed Abuja meeting is a demonstration of the fact that the SPLA does not speak for the whole people in the southern part of the country, and there are other political and military groups, who have a stake in the peace and security of the Sudan.
"After several decades of war, it should be clear to those groups still against peace in the Sudan that nothing could be achieved through war, and that every effort should be made to stop the war," he said.
The envoy said because war is causing a lot of suffering for the people, stopping the war would create a conducive atmosphere for all the parties to the crisis to sit down and discuss their differences.
Khalil told the agency that it is in the interest of Africa to find a peaceful solution to the conflicts on the continent, to enable the people to concentrate their efforts on developing the continent and bridge the gap between Africa and developed world.
He appealed to the SPLA and its supporters to stop fighting, lay down their arms and join other parties and the government in finding a peaceful solution to the country's problem, saying that Africa and the international community are ready to facilitate the implementation of any agreement that might be reached.
"All the necessary guarantees are there that any agreement reached would be faithfully implemented. So, I don't see any justification in continued fighting. It will only cause more suffering for the people, especially in the southern part of the country," he added.
Obasanjo has announced that Nigeria is due to host a peace conference on the Sudan, which is part of his efforts to end Africa's conflicts. But he did not give the exact date of the meeting.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese Presidential Adviser on Peace Affairs Ghazi Eldin earlier denied allegations of a controversy between the Sudan and Nigeria towards convening the Afro-Arab summit for peace in the Sudan, saying that consultations are underway to determine the issues to be discussed.
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