Commander Salva Kiir Mayaardit’s Remarks at the Abuja-II Peace Talks, May 1993

“The objective of the movement since it was launched in 1983 had always been and continued to be the creation of a New Sudan. This is still our preferred and principled objective—a democratic non-sectarian Sudanese commonality that transcends race, tribe, language and religion. Since subsequent regimes in Khartoum continued to refuse our vision and as long as their objectives exclude the marginalized peoples, those peoples (the marginalized) would have the right to self-determination. If Khartoum regimes continued with their Islamicization and Arabicization agenda, the South must demand its independence, even if that be achieved after a great deal of bloodshed and loss of life and misery. The SPLM/A considered Confederation between the North and the marginalized peoples—of South Sudan, Nuba Mountains and Ingessena Hills in Southern Blue Nile—as the best way to solve the problem of relationship between state and religion and the sharing of wealth and power. Khartoum’s Federal System (as proposed by the NIF’s National Dialogue Conference) did not and does not share power, but rather it increases the domination of the Central Government as it has always done to Islamize all: the public, economic, cultural and social life in the country. In a Confederation, each confederate state would be sovereign in its laws and security arrangements. After the interim period following the cessation of hostilities, the marginalized peoples would conduct an internationally supervised referendum to choose between confederation and independence. Over time, a healthy Union could be built voluntarily between the two parts of the country and the New Sudan would then come into being.”