African Union says Sudan Must Implement Southern Deal

The African Union (AU) appealed to the governments of Sudan and its semi-autonomous south on Friday to speed up the implementation of a 2005 peace deal designed to end two decades of war between the former foes.

The war between the Arabic-speaking Islamist government in Khartoum and the mostly Christian and animist black southern rebels has killed two million people and displaced twice as many before the two sides signed a peace deal in January 2005.

The peace pact created a semi-autonomous southern authority, a national coalition government, separate north and south militaries and sharing of oil wealth -- with the option of full independence for the south in a referendum by 2011.

But African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security Said Djinnit told reporters both sides had yet to put the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) into practice.

"The CPA implementation process continues to face serious challenges that need the full attention of both Khartoum and South Sudan, in reaching agreement over the oil revenue sharing and north-south border," he said.

South Sudan accuses Khartoum of failing to honour its side of the bargain -- of not sharing revenues from the country's rich oil fields and reneging on the border agreement, especially in the oil-rich province of Abyei, where tensions are rising.

"Lack of implementation by the government of Sudan on the demarcation of the south and north Sudan border... could bring the collapse of CPA," said Arop Deng Kol, a south Sudanese diplomat in Ethiopia.

Khartoum officials were not available for comment.