Pretoria - The committee responsible for reconstructing Sudan has agreed to set up a special technical team to prepare a clear road map for the January referendum.
The team, announced during the African Union's Ministerial Committee on Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) visit to Sudan this week, will mirror the membership of PCRD and will be assembled as soon as possible.
"We have agreed, as an outcome of our visit, to send a follow-up technical team of our committee whose main focus will be to develop a concrete plan based on our mandate and terms of reference," International Relations Minister and chair of the PCRD Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said.
The technical team, she said, will prepare a document with a clear road-map for consideration at the next meeting on the sidelines of the January 2011 summit.
War-torn Sudan is preparing for a January referendum on independence for its southern region, which could see the country split in two. This is part of the 2005 Naivasha Agreement between the Khartoum central government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement.
Discussions between the two sides earlier in October failed to bring about a compromise on key issues.
This means the technical team will have representatives from Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and the Sudan, who are also part of the PCRD.
Nkoana-Mashabane said the technical team will consider, as part of the plan, sending missions to our capitals to mobilise African support for the PCRD effort in the Sudan. "We will count on the support of the Chair of the AU Commission and the Commission for Peace and Security in the advocacy campaign," she said.
The minister, was in that country to address remaining obstacles to the referendum, including the status of the disputed oil-rich Abyei district on the border of the north and the south.
She said the overall visit was a great success. "Not only did it give us a lot of insight into preparations for the referendum and the status of PCRD in Sudan, it also affirmed to the Sudanese our commitment and that of the AU to support them during this critical moment in their country's history."
During the visit she held meetings with the leaders of government in the North and the South. She also met other important stakeholders such as the AU High-level Panel, the Referendum Commission, and development partners.
Nkoana-Mashabane was accompanied by Charles Nqakula and other officials, as a special envoy to the Sudan.
