New developments in South Kordofan

N. op 't Ende

June 6, 2009 (Nuba Mountains Homepage)

Outlines of a break-through

A remarcable string of events in South Kordofan suggest that Governor Haroun and his deputy al Hilo are making substantial progress on the renewal of the NCP-SPLM partnership in the state. With the appointment of Ramdan Hassan Nimir as Minister of Finance the outlines of a real break through have become clear.

The effort to renew the partnership announced last month by Haroun and al Hilo was followed by a visit of President al Bashir who called for an end to tribalism and promised more development.

Haroun and al Hilo went to Juba together to discuss their plans with Vice-President Salva Kiir. They followed this up with a workshop on progress in the state and now, one of the main conflicts between the parties - the finance ministry - seems to have been solved.

New finance minister

Ramadan Hassan Nimir is rooted solidly in the struggle of the Nuba with the SPLA. He joined in 1989 and played a prominent role within the SPLM Nuba without being very visible. He was active for NRRDO.

In 2002 he co-signed a letter to Gen. Sambeyweo in which the Nuba demand the right of self-determination, including the options to join South Sudan or form a seperate state.

He was a member of the 4th SPLM Interim National Council in March 2008, and in October 2008, he was appointed Secretary for Finance & Economic Affairs at the SPLM Northern Secretariat.

Administrative integration and security

The next issues to be addressed would be administrative integration and deployment of former SPLM police officers with the official state police. If the speed with which Haroun and al Hilo have been moving forward in the past month is any indication, I would not be surprised if announcement about these sensitive subjects would follow within weeks.

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