Rebels and government issue joint communique

The Sudan government and SPLM/A rebels last Thursday issued a joint communique in which they reiterated their commitment to a peaceful resolution of their conflict. The communique, issued after talks in Nairobi under the auspices of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD), said they agreed on self-determination for the people of southern Sudan. The government contended that Abyei in Bahr el Ghazal “is not part of south Sudan”, but that “the position of Abyei may be discussed”. Khartoum also does not accept that southern Kordofan and southern Blue Nile are part of south Sudan and hence “self determination is not relevant”. The SPLM/A said these issues would be further explored by a joint transitional committee.