A senior member of Sudan’s governing National Congress Party (NCP) has accused the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) of failing to transparently account for its share of funds from the country’s oil wealth, as called for in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement CPA).
Rabie Abdelati Obeid told VOA the government of the semi-autonomous south Sudan has violated the provisions of the CPA by refusing to account for its share of the oil wealth, despite repeated appeals by President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s government to do so.
“According to the protocol of distribution of (oil) revenue, the government (in Khartoum) already fulfilled the provision and granted the share to the government of the south. But, (there was) no accountability and there is not even auditing, and nobody knows where the amount of oil (money) went,” said Obeid.
“There is no infrastructure (in the south), no services, and there is nothing made from the revenue the SPLM got from the government in Khartoum, and this is actually against what the SPLM committed themselves to in the CPA.”
During Sudan’s general election, opponents of the SPLM in the south accused the semi-autonomous government of failing to use its share of the oil wealth to build infrastructure, as well as provide basic amenities for the people.
They also accused the SPLM of graft and failure to properly account for monies received from President Bashir’s government as stipulated in the CPA. Supporters of the SPLM dismissed the accusations as baseless and without merit.
Obeid said his ruling party is still committed to the full implementation of the CPA, despite the NCP’s assertions which come weeks before the south Sudan referendum on unity with, or secession from, Khartoum.
“The SPLM undermined and jeopardized the CPA by opening external offices and granting visas to foreigners coming to Sudan through Juba. And this is against what is committed by the SPLM in the CPA, as this is not an activity to be performed by the southern government,” said Obeid.
“But, the NCP is still committed to all provisions and items of the CPA, and we will actually respect the results of the referendum whether it is unity or secession; but, the SPLM didn’t do that. It is as if they only signed the CPA not to respect it, but only to take it as only a document or agreement for secession.”