Conflict in East Sudan
The tensions that have existed since the 1990s between the local ethnic groups in eastern Sudan and the government in Khartoum are referred to as the conflict in East Sudan . The conflict has now been resolved with the peace agreements signed between the rebels and the government in mid-2006.
The states of al-Bahr al-ahmar , al-Qadarif , Kassala and Nahr an-Nil belong to the east of Sudan .
causes
The east of Sudan, mainly inhabited by Bedscha and Rashaida, is a poor, underdeveloped region that has been plagued by drought and hunger. Despite the rich deposits of gold and iron ore , including in the Jibal al-Bahr al-ahmar , which are also mined, not much has changed in this situation. This is why many Bedscha and Rashaida feel marginalized and oppressed by the central government in Khartoum .
course
In 1957 Bedscha intellectuals led by Dr. Taha Osman Bileya founded the Beja Congress organization, which campaigns for more regional autonomy for the Bedscha and is part of the opposition alliance, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). In the 1990s, the Beja Congress began an armed struggle in response to heightened government repression. Government institutions such as the strategically important oil pipeline that runs through the Bedscha region to the Red Sea have been attacked again and again . The center of the uprising movement was the area around the small town of Hamesh Koreb in Kassala Province near the Eritrean border.
When in 2005 a peace agreement between the government and the rebels of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) ended the war of civil secession in South Sudan and promised autonomy and possibly independence for South Sudan , this also fueled hopes for more regional autonomy in other parts of the country. The Darfur conflict broke out openly in western Sudan . The Beja Congress allied itself with the rebel organization SLA in Darfur . Beja Congress, the Rashaida organization Free Lions and the JEM in Darfur joined forces to form the " Eastern Front ". At the same time as the outbreak of the Darfur conflict, attacks on government institutions in East Sudan intensified. An open escalation of the smoldering conflict in East Sudan was feared, but initially did not materialize.
Peace negotiations and agreements
At the beginning of 2006, peace negotiations between the government and the rebels of Eastern Sudan began in Asmara in neighboring Eritrea . A ceasefire agreement was signed on June 26, 2006 after the last SPLA fighters had withdrawn a few days earlier. They also agreed on a development plan for the region; a fund aims to promote education, health and access to drinking water in East Sudan. Treaties on security and the sharing of power and wealth were also signed, and a peace treaty was signed on October 14th.
In May 2007, according to the agreements, the Eastern Front leader Musa Mohammed Ahmed was appointed assistant to President Omar al-Bashir , the former vice president of the organization became a presidential advisor and another representative was appointed Secretary of State for Transport. The Eastern Front announced their demobilization for June 1st.
swell
On the conflict in general
- Suliman Salih Dirar from the Beja Congress on the conflict
- www.globalsecurity.org on the Beja Congress (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ February 7, 2006 - Reuters: East Sudan rebels postphone talks with Khartoum.
- ↑ July 5, 2006 - Sudan Tribune: "Sudanese govt, eastern rebels agree on ceasefire modalities" ( Memento of July 18, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ June 19, 2006 - Sudan Tribune: Last batch of SPLA troops in Kassala State heads to the South.
- ↑ August 19, 2006 - Sudan Tribune: "East Sudan peace talks parties agree on development plan"
- ↑ October 15, 2006 - Sudan Tribune: "Sudanese govt signs peace deal with eastern rebels"
- ↑ full text of the peace treaty (English, PDF; 220 kB)
- ↑ May 31, 2007 - Sudan Tribune: "Sudan president appoints ex-eastern rebels to government posts"