Sudan: Ban stresses need for peaceful resolution of any electoral disputes

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Sudanese authorities and political parties to peacefully resolve any disputes arising from this month’s presidential and parliamentary elections as he commended the country’s people for taking part in the recent ballot.

The Sudanese people’s participation in the largely peaceful elections, despite numerous challenges, “stands as a demonstration of their commitment to democracy,” according to a statement issued by a spokesperson for the Secretary-General.

The statement was issued after the National Electoral Commission (NEC) announced the results of the vote following the historic elections, the first of their kind in Sudan in 24 years.

The elections have been regarded as an important milestone in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which was signed in 2005 to end two decades of warfare pitting the Sudanese Government against the southern-based Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). The SPLM formed the administration that runs southern Sudan after the signing of the CPA.

In Darfur, a region in western Sudan, a separate conflict between Government forces, allied Janjaweed militiamen and rebel groups has continued since 2003.

“The Secretary-General takes note of the preliminary reports of observer groups detailing both the successes and shortcomings of the elections, as well as a number of security incidents,” according to today’s statement.

“The Secretary-General calls on the authorities and political parties of Sudan to continue to resolve by peaceful means any matters arising from contested results or other irregularities.

“The Secretary-General calls on the CPA partners and other Sudanese political actors to make rapid progress with the preparations for the next and final phase of CPA implementation, the conduct of the referenda on self-determination in Southern Sudan and Abyei [slated for next year].”