Peace talks to end 21 years of civil war in southern Sudan hit a snag on a dispute over the imposition of Islamic Shariah law in the capital Khartoum, officials said yesterday. Mediators in the talks between the government and the rebel Sudan Peopleâs Liberation Army expected a protocol to be signed this weekend to pave the way for the signing of a much-delayed peace deal to end Africaâs longest civil war. âThe issue of the national capital and the laws that govern it are the final obstacle right now,â Sudanâs Foreign Minister Mustafa Osman Ismail told Reuters. âIn my estimation the current session is in its final stages and the important issue that remains is that of the national capital.â The six-month-old talks in Kenya between First Vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha and rebel leader John Garang stalled in recent weeks over the disputed oil-rich Abyei region, and the issue of power-sharing.
| There's always something to stall the talks, isn't there? |
The rebels said the latest obstacle is that the government wants the capital to be under Shariah laws while the SPLA wants non-Muslims to be exempt from the Islamic law. âThe main point that has stalled the talks is the laws to govern Khartoum,â SPLA spokesman Samson Kwaje told reporters. âThe government insists that everyone must be subjected to Shariah law. We on the other hand are advocating for ... Shariah law for the Muslims and secular laws for the non-Muslims.â He said the rebels had ideally wanted the capital to be shariah-free, but had since agreed that both laws be applied. In an attempt to step up pressure on both sides, acting US Assistant Secretary of State Charles Snyder met Taha and Garang on Wednesday in the Rift Valley town of Naivasha. |