Friday, January 9, 2009 marked the fourth anniversary of the signing of a peace agreement between North and South Sudan that ended Africa’s longest-running civil war.
The government of South Sudan is said to have spent millions of dollars to mark this year’s celebrations of the fourth anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, or the CPA as it is better known.
The CPA spelled out proposals for a fairer division of power and wealth. It also would allow South Sudan to hold a referendum in 2011 on independence from the North after national elections are held in July.
But still some core issues remain unresolved.
In an interview with Nightline’s Akwei Thompson, Fouad Hikmat an analyst of the International crisis Group says although much has been achieved since the 2005 signing of the CPA, there is still lingering mistrust between the governments in Khartoum and Juba in South Sudan.
“…there’s basically no trust, very clearly between the leadership of the SPLM members and the NCP and I think that’s one of the main factors affecting the implemaentation of the CPA in different areas.”
Hikmat said he hopes the issue of mistrust will be addressed very seriously by the two parties, or the two partners, otherwise “the coming period is going to be very complicated.”
