Sudan to let rebels join army

ADDIS ABABA/JUBA – Sudan agreed yesterday to bring some former rebels into the its army and the south played down a northern threat to shut oil pipelines, as the country’s halves scramble to prepare for the south’s looming secession.

South Sudan is due to become the world’s newest independent state in less than two weeks, but the two parts of the country have yet to iron out tough issues, from the mutual border to how they will share oil revenue and divide $38 billion in debt.The main parties from both sides held talks in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, mediated by South African former President Thabo Mbeki, to resolve the fate of fighters from the south’s Sudan People’s Liberation Army who will end up in the north.Mbeki said the sides had agreed on Wednesday that fighters from the south’s former guerrilla army who end up in northern territory would be incorporated into the northern army. He said they planned to meet again on Thursday to discuss prospects for a ceasefire in a border area where there have been clashes.The two sides also need to figure out how to divide oil earnings that represent the lifeblood of both economies.About three-quarters of Sudan’s roughly 500 000 barrels per day of oil output comes from the south, but most of the refineries, pipelines and ports are in the north. Under an agreement which will end when the south secedes on July 9, they have shared the revenue equally.- Nampa-Reuters