By Mohammad Ali Salih
December 14, 2010 (SSNA) — The London-based Asharq Al-Awsat Newspaper spoke with Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement [SPLM] Secretary-General Pagan Amum earlier this week in Washington in the run-up to the southern Sudanese self-determination referendum that is scheduled to take place in January 2011. Amum is one of the most prominent SPLM leaders and is widely known for his criticisms of the ruling NCP.
In his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, SPLM Secretary-General Pagan Amum discussed the southern Sudanese self-determination referendum and his own dissatisfaction with the al-Bashir government.
The following is the text of the interview:
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Can you tell us the purpose of your visit to Washington?
[Amum] I first went to New York to attend the UN Security Council’s special meeting on Sudan. The meeting was successful because it confirmed the UN position on the coming referendum in South Sudan to choose between unity and independence. The Council was very clear that all parties should work hard to have a free and fair election, and should accept the results. In Washington, I met some top American officials, talked to the Sudanese in the Washington area, and visited registration centres for the referendum in the South. I encouraged the Southerners to register and to vote.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] What did you tell US officials about secession or unity?
[Amum] I told them that if the South chooses unity, we will call on them to support a united Sudan; if the South chooses independence, we will call on them to support the new state, and also the state in the North, so as not to create problems and tensions between the two countries.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] In a previous interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Karti accused you of supporting US policies against the government of Sudanese President Omer Al-Bashir. Do you have any comment on that?
[Amum] Every time I come to Washington, they say I come to take orders from the American government. There are no secrets in our relations with the Americans. Yes, they helped us in the past when we were fighting in the jungles, and that was because we were under brutal attacks by the armed forces of President Al-Bashir, under the slogan of Islamic Jihad. Yes, they have been helping the Government of Southern Sudan since its establishment, according to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the North and the South in 2005. And yes, they promised to help us in the future if we choose unity or independence.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] Do the Americans support unity or secession?
[Amum] You are in Washington; why don’t you ask them?
[Asharq Al-Awsat] The US announced a global war on terror; and this is something that has indirectly resulted in Muslims being targeted, whether this is in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia, or Sudan. Are you exploiting this "war on terror" to win US support?
[Amum] Firstly, what you just said [about Muslims being targeted] is your own opinion. Secondly, we don’t serve the goals of "others"; we are serving our own goals.
[Asharq Al-Awsat] There has been reports that if the south chooses secession, the United States African Command [AFRICOM] intends to establish a base in Juba, and that Israel would also be establishing strong relations with southern Sudan. Would you care to comment on these reports?