KHARTOUM - Former south Sudanese rebels rejoined the national government on Thursday, two months after walking out because of disputes over the implementation of a peace deal that ended two decades of war.The move came after Sudanese President Omar Al Beshir signed decrees giving cabinet posts to members of the former rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, an official said. Beshir has given 16 posts to the SPLM — seven ministers and six ministers of state and three presidential advisors who are due to be sworn in on Thursday.
The SPLM led by First Vice President Salva Kiir quit the cabinet in October complaining that the north was failing to implement the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended AfricaÂ’s longest-running civil war. The CPA provides for a six-year transition period in which the south would enjoy regional autonomy and participate in a national unity government ahead of a 2011 referendum on the regionÂ’s future status.
Relations between Khartoum and the south had been increasingly unstable and a first round of talks aimed at resolving the crisis broke down on November 11. But the two sides announced on December 12 that an agreement had been reached that would pave the way for the return of the southerners to the cabinet. Among the new appointments is Deng Alor who replaces Lam Akol as foreign minister.