The National Convention of New Sudan was an assembly organized by the
Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement
The South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF), formerly the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), is the army of the Republic of South Sudan. The SPLA was founded as a guerrilla movement against the government of Sudan in 1983 and was a ...
(SPLA/M) in
Chukudum
Chukudum is a Town in Budi County of the Eastern Equatoria state of South Sudan.
Location
The town lies at the base of the Didinga Mountains, which are often shrouded in clouds, in spectacularly beautiful country. It is accessible only by a roug ...
,
Eastern Equatoria
Eastern Equatoria is a state in South Sudan. It has an area of 73,472 km². The capital is Torit. On October 1, 1972, the state was divided into Imatong and Namorunyang states and was re-established by a peace agreement signed on 22 Febru ...
Khartoum
Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...
.Guarak, Mawut Achiecque Mach. Integration and Fragmentation of the Sudan: An African Renaissance '. Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2011. p. 383
The National Convention had initially been scheduled to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the founding of the SPLA/M, May 16, 1993. It had however been postponed. A Convention Organising Committee (COC), consisting of 35 military officials of SPLA, had been formed to prepare the event. The COC was led by Yousif Kuwa, who also chaired the convention.
In his opening speech at the convention, the SPLA/M Chairman
John Garang
John Garang de Mabior (June 23, 1945 – July 30, 2005) was a Sudanese politician and revolutionary leader. From 1983 to 2005, he led the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) after the Second Sudanese Civil War, the comprehensive peace agreement ...
declared the convention as sovereign body.Rolandsen, Øystein H. Guerrilla Government: Political Changes in the Southern Sudan During the 1990s '. Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, 2005. p. 83 The convention established a system of three branches of government in New Sudan; legislative, executive and judicial.
The issue of union (i.e. unity of Sudan) and separatism was dealt with at the convention. John Garang, who preferred unity, accepted a shift in policy of the movement which accommodated separatist demands. 'New Sudan' was defined as applying only to the 'liberated areas' under the control of SPLA/M, in contrast to the unionist definition in the original SPLA/M Manifesto which had defined 'New Sudan' as a future united, secular Sudan. The election of the new SPLA/M leadership carried the mandate of 'to fight and achieve the right of Self-determination for the oppressed people of the New Sudan'. A system of local governments was formalized, with five levels (boma, payam, county, region and central). Five regional administrations of New Sudan were created, namely Bahr el-Ghazal,
Equatoria
Equatoria is a region of southern South Sudan, along the upper reaches of the White Nile. Originally a province of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, it also contained most of northern parts of present-day Uganda, including Lake Albert and West Nile. It ...
, Southern
Blue Nile
The Blue Nile (; ) is a river originating at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. It travels for approximately through Ethiopia and Sudan. Along with the White Nile, it is one of the two major tributaries of the Nile and supplies about 85.6% of the water ...
,
Southern Kordofan
South Kordofan ( ar, جنوب كردفان ') is one of the 18 wilayat or states of Sudan. It has an area of 158,355 km² and an estimated population of approximately 1,100,000 people (2000).Upper Nile. The convention instituted reforms of the legal system in the areas under SPLA/M control. Various laws, such as the New Sudan Penal Code and New Sudan Traffic Act, were drafted.Rolandsen, Øystein H. Guerrilla Government: Political Changes in the Southern Sudan During the 1990s '. Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, 2005. p. 116
The convention elected a new National Liberation Council/National Executive Committee of SPLA/M. John Garang was elected chairman and
Salva Kiir
Salva (Latin for "Save") may refer to:
People
*Francisco Salva Campillo (1751-1828), Spanish scientist
* Ramon d'Salva (born 1921), Filipino actor
* Héctor Salva (1939-2015), Uruguayan football midfielder
*Salva Kiir Mayardit (born 1951), South ...