Sudan prepares for Garang succession

NEW SITE, Sudan – Salva Kiir yesterday prepared to replace the charismatic John Garang as head of Sudan’s southern movement after his death in a helicopter crash rocked a fragile peace process and drew calls for restraint.

Riots had broken out in Khartoum following the announcement of Garang’s death on Monday and medical sources yesterday morning put the death toll at 42 people. Two senior US envoys meanwhile headed to Sudan to shore up the implementation of the January peace deal that ended 21 years of north-south civil war and under which Garang had been appointed first vice prime minister in a unity government.Top officials of Garang’s southern former rebel group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), convened in his former headquarters in the town of New Site late on Monday and elected Salva Kiir to replace him at the helm of the group.”The SPLM leadership and the SPLA military command affirmed General Salva Kiir as the chairman of the SPLM and commander in chief of the SPLA,” the movement said in a statement after their meeting.”Therefore he is the nominee to the position of the first vice president of the republic…,” the statement said, citing the Sudanese interim national constitution, which was ratified last month.Kiir, the SPLM’s number two and the chief of general staff of the SPLM’s military wing, may be a highly-regarded military officer but his lack of political acumen and leadership qualities hobble his ability to fill Garang’s post.State foreign minister Najib al-Khaeir Abdelwahad confirmed on Tuesday that “it will be Salva Kiir succeeding Garang, but no date had been fixed yet for his installation.”SPLM/A spokesman Pagan Anum said “Salva Kiir will be appointed in two weeks’ time,” in interview published yesterday in the Sudanese independent daily Al-Rai Al-Am.Both the SPLM/A and Beshir have vowed to proceed with the peace process despite the death of one of his main proponents and architects.But the hurried departure US top envoys reflect concern that Garang’s death could weaken efforts to keep the peace in the war torn African country and end the crisis in its Western Darfur region.Connie Newman, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, and Roger Winter, special representative for Sudan, were slated to hold talks with officials in Khartoum and in the country’s south.State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the pair “will be going to southern Sudan and to Khartoum to confer with the parties and encourage them to maintain momentum on the comprehensive peace agreement and on Darfur.”He said they would meet with “a wide range” of government officials and SPLM representatives but did not say specifically whether they would see Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir.President George W.Bush praised Garang in a statement on Monday as “a visionary leader and peacemaker” who helped strike the landmark January deal in January to end more than two decades of civil war between Khartoum and southern rebel as urge the Sudanese to stay away from violence.The United States has worked hard to nail down the north-south peace pact and to end what it has called genocide in the western region of Darfur that has left up to 300 000 people dead and 2,5 million homeless.- Nampa-AFPTwo senior US envoys meanwhile headed to Sudan to shore up the implementation of the January peace deal that ended 21 years of north-south civil war and under which Garang had been appointed first vice prime minister in a unity government.Top officials of Garang’s southern former rebel group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), convened in his former headquarters in the town of New Site late on Monday and elected Salva Kiir to replace him at the helm of the group.”The SPLM leadership and the SPLA military command affirmed General Salva Kiir as the chairman of the SPLM and commander in chief of the SPLA,” the movement said in a statement after their meeting.”Therefore he is the nominee to the position of the first vice president of the republic…,” the statement said, citing the Sudanese interim national constitution, which was ratified last month.Kiir, the SPLM’s number two and the chief of general staff of the SPLM’s military wing, may be a highly-regarded military officer but his lack of political acumen and leadership qualities hobble his ability to fill Garang’s post.State foreign minister Najib al-Khaeir Abdelwahad confirmed on Tuesday that “it will be Salva Kiir succeeding Garang, but no date had been fixed yet for his installation.”SPLM/A spokesman Pagan Anum said “Salva Kiir will be appointed in two weeks’ time,” in interview published yesterday in the Sudanese independent daily Al-Rai Al-Am.Both the SPLM/A and Beshir have vowed to proceed with the peace process despite the death of one of his main proponents and architects.But the hurried departure US top envoys reflect concern that Garang’s death could weaken efforts to keep the peace in the war torn African country and end the crisis in its Western Darfur region.Connie Newman, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, and Roger Winter, special representative for Sudan, were slated to hold talks with officials in Khartoum and in the country’s south.State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the pair “will be going to southern Sudan and to Khartoum to confer with the parties and encourage them to maintain momentum on the comprehensive peace agreement and on Darfur.”He said they would meet with “a wide range” of government officials and SPLM representatives but did not say specifically whether they would see Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir.President George W.Bush praised Garang in a statement on Monday as “a visionary leader and peacemaker” who helped strike the landmark January deal in January to end more than two decades of civil war between Khartoum and southern rebel as urge the Sudanese to stay away from violence.The United States has worked hard to nail down the north-south peace pact and to end what it has called genocide in the western region of Darfur that has left up to 300 000 people dead and 2,5 million homeless.- Nampa-AFP