By Opheera McDoom
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's former southern rebels said onSunday their leader would run for the presidency in electionsdue next year under a landmark 2005 peace deal which endedAfrica's longest civil war.
Sudan's north-south civil war ended with an accord thatshared power and wealth, created a semi-autonomous south Sudan,and envisaged democratic elections and a southern vote onsecession by 2011.
The southern Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)joined the national government and its head, Salva Kiir, becamefirst vice president.
"The SPLM has officially decided to contest the electionson all levels including the president's position," senior SPLMofficial Yasir Arman told Reuters after an SPLM leadershipmeeting lasting several days.
He said Kiir would be nominated for the presidency.
"All the indications show very clearly that the SPLM isgoing to be a leading force and will definitely win theelections," he added.
The SPLM has registered tens of thousands of members innorthern Sudan but some in the north say Kiir does not spendenough time in Khartoum and that many SPLM ministers in thenational government have not been active enough.
The biggest thorn in the north-south accord is the central,disputed oil-rich region of Abyei which will also vote onsecession in 2011.
On Sunday the northern army troops confirmed they had fullyredeployed from the region leaving only a joint north-southarmy unit in charge for the first time since the 2005 deal.
"Our redeployment from Abyei has been ongoing for more thanthree weeks and yesterday we completed that withdrawal," saidAbdel Rahman Mohamedain a senior official from the northernarmy.
The withdrawal was part of a roadmap agreed by the twopeace partners to resolve the dispute over Abyei, which theyhave referred to The Hague-based Permanent Court ofArbitration. They have not yet agreed on an administration forthe region.
Sudan's north-south deal did not cover a separate conflictin the western Darfur region.
Arman said the Darfur conflict had to be resolved beforethe elections so that the remote western region could takepart.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor sought anarrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on July 14for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur,creating a political crisis in Sudan.
Arman said the SPLM had drawn up a plan to end the Darfurcrisis and deal with the ICC warrant but would make no detailspublic until it had met Bashir's National Congress Party (NCP).
"We are looking for a joint leadership meeting between theNCP and SPLM as soon as possible to discuss the present crisisin the country and how we can defuse this crisis," Arman added.
Sudan has gained African Union and Arab League support fora U.N. Security Council resolution suspending any warrant forBashir for a renewable 12-month period. Sudan has alsoindicated it may use national courts to try Darfur war crimessuspects.
International experts estimate 200,000 people have died and2.5 million have been driven from their homes in Darfur sincemostly non-Arab rebels took up arms in early 2003, accusing thecentral government of neglect.
Khartoum mobilised mostly Arab militia to quell the revoltwho are accused of atrocities such as rape, murder and looting.
Last year the ICC indicted a Sudanese junior governmentminister and an allied militia leader for war crimes butKhartoum refuses to recognise the court. Sudan signed but didnot ratify the treaty forming the ICC.
(Editing by Richard Balmforth)
