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First Hearing Focuses on South Sudan Comprehensive
Peace Agreement
Representative Donald M. Payne (10th District, New Jersey) has been appointed to serve as the new Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health. In addition to helping shape U.S. policy towards Africa in the areas of trade, human rights, humanitarian assistance and counter-terrorism efforts, the Subcommittee will focus on such global health issues as Malaria, Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, pandemic flu and other infectious diseases. Chairman Payne, who won passage in the last Congress of a measure declaring genocide in Darfur, has vowed to use his new position to push for an end to the tragedy in that region.
Chairman Payne convened the first Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health hearing of the 110th Congress in January on the subject “South Sudan: The Comprehensive Peace Agreement on Life Support.”
The week before the hearing, the Government of South Sudan opened its first Mission to the United States. Congressman Payne attended the opening, along with former Special Representative to Sudan, the Honorable Roger Winter, who testified as a witness at the Subcommittee hearing. Also testifying were South Sudan witnesses Minister Luka Biong Deng, who is the Minister for Presidential Affairs, and Minister Barnaba Benjamin, the Minister for Regional Cooperation.
Payne noted that the people of South Sudan suffered for decades under brutal oppression and war. “During that time, a horrifying 2 million people were killed and more than 4 million people were displaced,” Payne said.
Under the strong leadership of the late Dr. John Garang, and with the support of the international community, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement on Sudan was signed two years ago, effectively ending the 21-year old civil war and triggering a six-year Interim Period. At the end of the Interim Period, southerners are to hold a referendum to decide their political future.
Payne recounted that tragically, just 21 days after being sworn in, on July 30, 2005, First Vice President and Chairman of the SPLM, Dr. John Garang, was killed in a plane crash in southern Sudan. “The death of this great leader of the people of not only South Sudan but of all people of Sudan – Muslim, Christian, and animist – saddened the nation and the region and threatened to derail the Comprehensive Peace Act,” Payne said.
Salva Kiir was named as Dr. John Garang’s replacement and was sworn in as First Vice President of Sudan and President of South Sudan and the Government of South Sudan was formed.
Yet two years later, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement is in serious danger, Payne warned. The Assessment and Evaluation Commission, which was mandated to monitor implementation of the peace agreement, created four Working Groups, although the parties to the agreement have not been actively engaged in the process. The parties have made no major progress in the implementation of the wealth and power sharing provisions, while work on the north-south border is behind schedule. Failure to resolve the border issue is likely to complicate the redeployment of forces and sharing of oil revenues, since a number of the oil fields are located along the 1956 north-south border.
The people of South Sudan are concerned the promises made to them two years ago will not be fulfilled. Payne expressed his determination to see that the vision of Dr. John Garang for a New Sudan is fulfilled. “In this New Sudan people would have a right to live freely without the threat of murder and destruction by their own government,” Payne said.
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