Sudan leaders reach rights deal

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13 March 2012 Last updated at 22:16

Disagreements over oil remains the biggest stumbling block between South Sudan and Sudan

Sudan and South Sudan have agreed a framework agreement to give their citizens basic freedoms in both nations, African Union mediators say.

They have agreed to allow citizens of the other state to live, work and own property on either side of the border, and travel between the two nations.

Analysts say deals have been broken in the past, and the two sides have left space to wriggle out of this accord.

Bitter disagreements over disputed land and oil also remain unresolved.

However, officials said Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir would make his first visit to South Sudan since the country gained independence last July.

He is expected to make the trip in the next two weeks.

'In principle'

The framework deal said nationals of each state would be given "freedom of residence, freedom of movement, freedom to undertake economic activity and freedom to acquire and dispose property".

Two months ago, Khartoum had threatened to treat South Sudanese as foreigners from 8 April unless they obtained residency or work permits.

Some 350,000 southerners have moved to South Sudan since October 2010, after decades living in the north, but some 700,000 southerners remain, according to the UN.

The BBC's James Copnall, in Khartoum, says that the accords can, at best, be seen as agreements in principle.

A series of signed deals have not been respected in the past and the talks have yet to lead to a breakthrough in the key issue of oil, our correspondent says.

In January, South Sudan shut down all of its oil fields in a row over the fees Sudan demands to transit the oil.

South Sudan depends on oil sales for 98% of state revenues, but has pledged not to restart production until a deal is reached.

Parts of the countries' common border also remain in dispute.

In February, the two states agreed to demarcate most of the border within three months, although this would exclude five disputed areas.

Sudan: A country divided

The great divide across Sudan is visible even from space, as this Nasa satellite image shows. The northern states are a blanket of desert, broken only by the fertile Nile corridor. South Sudan is covered by green swathes of grassland, swamps and tropical forest.

Sudan's arid north is mainly home to Arabic-speaking Muslims. But in South Sudan there is no dominant culture. The Dinkas and the Nuers are the largest of more than 200 ethnic groups, each with its own languages and traditional beliefs, alongside Christianity and Islam.

The health inequalities in Sudan are illustrated by infant mortality rates. In South Sudan, one in 10 children die before their first birthday. Whereas in the more developed northern states, such as Gezira and White Nile, half of those children would be expected to survive.

The gulf in water resources between north and south is stark. In Khartoum, River Nile, and Gezira states, two-thirds of people have access to piped drinking water and pit latrines. In the south, boreholes and unprotected wells are the main drinking sources. More than 80% of southerners have no toilet facilities whatsoever.

Throughout Sudan, access to primary school education is strongly linked to household earnings. In the poorest parts of the south, less than 1% of children finish primary school. Whereas in the wealthier north, up to 50% of children complete primary level education.

Conflict and poverty are the main causes of food insecurity in Sudan. The residents of war-affected Darfur and South Sudan are still greatly dependent on food aid. Far more than in northern states, which tend to be wealthier, more urbanised and less reliant on agriculture.

Sudan exports billions of dollars of oil per year. Southern states produce more than 80% of it, but receive only 50% of the revenue. The pipelines run north but the two sides have still not agreed how to share the oil wealth in the future.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-africa-17361311