CPA / ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

STORY: SUDAN / CPA YEAR ANNIVERSARY

TRT: 2.06

SOURCE: UNMIS

RESTRICTIONS: NONE

LANGUAGE: NATS/ENGLISH

DATELINE: 09 JANUARY 2006, KHARTOUM, SUDAN

SHOTLIST:

1.Various shots, concert with Emmanuel Jal singing

2. Close up, Emmanuel Jal

3. Med shot, Jan Pronk clapping in crowd

4. Med shot, Abdel Gadir Salim

5.SOUNDBITE (English): UN Special Envoy to Sudan, Jan Pronk:

"The centre of attention today is Peace in Sudan."

6. Pan right, girls dancing

7.SOUNDBITE (English) Vox-Pop:

"I expect that there be a vision of sharing, because all parts of Sudan is going to be together, and I am hoping a good future for Sudan, because we are all one person, we can make our dreams come true."

8. Wide shot, duo singing with a female vocalist

9.SOUNDBITE (English) Vox-Pop:

"Really I tell you it's great and wonderful, and I feel about the peace. Really I feel the peace come really in Sudan."

10. Med shot, singer Abdel Gadir Salim singing for peace in Darfur and peace for Children

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Vox-Pop:

"Everybody is happy because of peace, and so it was a dream, and I think it is realized now."

12.Med shot, children clapping

13.Wide shot, musicians singing to crowd

 

STORYLINE:

Song and dance on Monday (9 January 2006), filled the air at an event in Khartoum that marked Sudan's first anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), one year ago.

United Nations Special Envoy to Sudan Jan Pronk joined in the celebration.

The star attractions - Emmanuel Jal and Abdel Gadir Salim - Sudanese musicians have taken to singing as a way of promoting peace in Sudan. Though Emmanuel Jal, does not know his exact age, which he roughly estimates to be around 26 - he is sure of one thing - that forgiveness and love can work wonders towards peace.

Born in Tong village in Southern Sudan, Jal was among thousands of children who were abducted by the Sudan People's Liberation Army. After being trained as a soldier, he spent about four years fighting in big battles. He and 60 year old Abdel Gadir Salim, from the north, have joined forces, and are singing peace songs with the hope that their songs will rekindle love and peace in a country that had once been torn by war for over 20 years.

The crowd celebrated the historical day. Many were happy and hopeful for the future.

For the past two decades, the Government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), the main rebel movement in the south, fought over resources, power, the role of religion in the state and self-determination. Over two million people died, four million were uprooted and some 600,000 people fled the country as refugees.

Attempts to bring peace, led to a historical turning point for Sudan, when on 9 January 2005, the Government of the Sudan, represented by Vice-President Ali Osman Taha, and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), represented by Chairman John Garang, signed in Nairobi, Kenya, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

With a new battle in the West of Sudan in the vast Darfur region, the duo is planning to take on the challenge of being messengers of peace.

It is estimated that tens of thousands people have been killed and more than 1.8 million others displaced or have fled to neighbouring Chad since rebel groups took up arms against the Sudanese Government in early 2003, partly in protest at the distribution of economic resources.