South Sudan: Watching a fragile nation

[M-A Lagrange]

Elections:

Sudan’s NCP hints at possibility of alliance with SPLM in elections

The Sudanese ruling National Congress Party (NCP) expressed openness to the idea of an alliance with its rival representing the South in the upcoming April elections, a senior official said today. The presidential assistant and deputy NCP chairman Nafie Ali Nafie, speaking at a press conference today affirmed that his party is committed to holding the elections as scheduled. Nafie stressed that the NCP will accept the choice of the people irrespective of the outcome, hinting to the possibility of alliance with Sudan People Liberation Movement (SPLM) “in light of the keenness of both sides to implement of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and maintaining the unity”.

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article33764

Gration calls on EU to provide monitors, funds for Sudan voteMajor General (Ret.) Scott Gration, the US presidential envoy to Sudan, in a meeting with the press today called on the European Union to send some 300 elections monitors to Sudan in time for the April nationwide elections.

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article33749

The push for Sudan Unity is stronger and stronger from US. The EU seems to be keen to pay and control it but up to which extend?
The US strategy to let the former colonial powers deal with local indirectly terror linked issues in Africa seems to be still on the run.
But I cannot see EU doing it for free.
South Sudan agriculture and Rwanda/Uganda non interference in DRC against oil? Seems to be a loose deal.
May be EU expect AFRICOM to become the gendarme de l’Afrique in its place?

Any ways, official candidate list from NCP for North has come out. The one for South is expected in the coming days.

NCP Deputy Head for organizational affairs Dr. Nafei Ali Nafei said that his party has choosen the following:-
Fathi Khalil for the Northern State, Al-Hadi Abdullah for River Nile, Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Khidir for Khartoum, Al-Zubeir Basher Taha for Al-Jazeera, Ahmed Abbas for Sennar, Ahmed Karemeno for Blue Nile, Karamallah Abbass for Gedarif, Mohammed Yousif Adam for Kassala, Mohammed Tahir Aila for the Red Sea, Yousif Al-Shenbali for White Nile, Faisal Hassan for Northern Kordofan, Ahmed Haroun for Southern Kordofan, Mohammed Yousif Kibir for Northern Darfur, Abdul Hamid Kasha for Southern Darfur and Jaafar Abdul Hakem for Western Darfur.

http://www.sudanvisiondaily.com/modu...icle&sid=53050

and the Chinese:

Sudan and China discuss expansion of Khartoum refinery
Sudan’s oil minister Al-Zubair Ahmed Al-Hassan was in China for talks on Khartoum refinery expansion, the official news agency SUNA reported today.

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article33765

Seems that Sudan is the new wild wild west of Africa those days. I wonder how that ménage a 3 (or more) between US, Russia and China will turn. Chinese are new players but strong ones with heavy arguments.

And this link on Sudan from our Quebecois friends:

General link on Sudan and UNMIS from University of Montreal
http://operationspaix.net/spip.php?p...=132&date=2010

A bit official but nice stuff on this site.