New envoy to U.S. defends Bashir visit - Kenya's President Kibaki breaks silence on Sudan leader’s visit

Quote of the Day

If Kenya had arrested Mr Bashir, "Sudan would erupt in a civil war that is going to be bigger and more devastating than the civil war [that began] 20 years ago," Kenya's new ambassador to the U.S., Elkanah Odembo, declared. "I'm willing to put my money on it."

Source: see report below.



President Barack Obama participates in a credential ceremony in the Oval Office, Aug. 10, 2010. The President greets Ambassador Elkanah Odembo Absalom of Kenya. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Kenya: New Envoy to U.S. Defends Bashir Visit
Report from The Nation, Kenya (hat tip: allAfrica.com)
Wednesday, 01 September 2010
By KEVIN J KELLEY

In a talk in Washington on Tuesday sponsored by the international arm of the US Democratic Party, Kenya's new ambassador to the United States vigorously defended the recent visit to Nairobi by Sudan's indicted president.

Ambassador Elkanah Odembo did not explicitly say why President Omar al-Bashir had been invited to take part in the August 27 constitution promulgation ceremony.

But the envoy justified Kenya's willingness to let him travel unimpeded on the grounds that it conformed with Kenya's interest in promoting stability in neighbouring Sudan.

If Kenya had arrested Mr Bashir, "Sudan would erupt in a civil war that is going to be bigger and more devastating than the civil war [that began] 20 years ago," Ambassador Odembo declared.

"I'm willing to put my money on it."

Kenya's envoy, who presented his credentials to President Barack Obama six weeks ago, said "it is certainly important Sudan holds together" until southern Sudan decides in a scheduled January referendum whether to become an independent state.

"I say that as someone who condemns in the strongest possible way the crimes committed against the people of Darfur," Mr Odembo added.

President Bashir has been charged at the International Criminal Court with war crimes arising from the Sudanese government's actions in the country's Darfur region.

Kenya, as a signatory to the treaty establishing the ICC, is obligated to cooperate with the court.

The country's welcome to Mr Bashir drew criticism from President Obama and from human rights groups.

Ambassador Odembo noted on Tuesday that Kenya is the temporary home to many refugees from Darfur who have offered evidence to ICC prosecutors regarding atrocities in Darfur.

The envoy also said Kenya is playing a crucial role as guarantor of the peace agreement that put an end to the war between north and south Sudan that took an estimated two million lives.

He assured the audience at the National Democratic Institute that Kenya's defiance of the ICC in regard to President Bashir does not suggest that Kenya will refuse to cooperate with the ICC's investigation of those thought responsible for the post-election violence.

- - -



President Kibaki is officially received by King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Swaziland on his arrival to the country for the 14th COMESA summit of Heads of State and Government. PHOTO / PPS

Kibaki breaks silence on Sudan leader’s visit
Report from The Nation, Kenya
Wednesday, 01 September 2010 at 22:00
By WALTER MENYA wmenya@ke.nationmedia.com

IN SUMMARY

President asks trade bloc and leaders to support country ahead of referendum

President Kibaki has pointed out that because of the fragile situation in Sudan ahead of the January referendum, the international community should embrace leaders of the oil-rich Eastern Africa state.

In an apparent response to criticism after Kenya hosted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir during the promulgation of the new law last Friday, the president asked the international community to support the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

“It is my wish that the international community would appreciate the delicate situation of Sudan and act proactively. We should not isolate the people of Sudan. Let us encourage them to play their rightful role in the community of nations,” President Kibaki told the 14th Comesa summit of heads of state and government in Ezulwini, Swaziland.

He added: “I call upon all Comesa member-states to support and encourage the people of Sudan to resolve the outstanding issues in the agreement as we look forward to the holding of a peaceful referendum in the Sudan.”

The president said he was impressed with the leaders in the Sudan – President al-Bashir and first Vice-President Salva Kiir — for agreeing to work together.

President Kibaki met Mr al-Bashir at State House Nairobi after the Uhuru Park celebrations where he asked him to stick to the January 9, 2011 referendum date.

And at a meeting with Kenyans living in Swaziland, the President said the new constitution would enable Kenyans in the diaspora enjoy dual citizenship.

Speaking at his Royal Villa presidential suite, President Kibaki said the new constitution would open up many opportunities for Kenyans both at home and abroad.

“Dual citizenship is good because it will enable Kenyans in the diaspora to enjoy the benefits of their country of residence while at the same time make their contribution in the development of their country of birth,” he said.

Kenyans in Swaziland, through their chairman, Mr Haroun Wambua, commended President Kibaki and all Kenyans for the historic promulgation of the new constitution.

Additional reporting by PPS

Sudan summons EU envoy over Bashir's Kenya visit

Sudan summons EU envoy over Bashir's Kenya visit
Report from Reuters - Tuesday, 31 August 2010 9:26pm GMT

(KHARTOUM) - Sudan summoned the EU ambassador on Tuesday to protest against a European Union statement criticising Kenya for hosting President Omar Hassan al-Bashir last week, Sudanese state media said.

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Bashir for war crimes and genocide in Sudan's western Darfur region during a counter-insurgency campaign.

The African Union has told its member states not to cooperate with the warrant. ICC judges reported Kenya, which is a member of the court, to the U.N. Security Council because Kenya did not arrest Bashir who attended the signing of the new Kenyan constitution.

Sudan's foreign ministry said a statement by the EU's high representative for foreign affairs, Catherine Ashton, raising concern at Bashir's Kenya visit was "totally unacceptable".

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the EU to end its double standard of giving immunity from legal proceedings to certain nationalities while targeting African countries alone," state news agency SUNA said.

Relations between Sudan and Western nations which support the ICC have been strained since the warrant for Bashir was issued in March 2009.

Bashir's movements have been restricted to nearby Middle Eastern and African allies since the warrant was issued and he was forced to cancel a visit to Turkey last year after EU pressure on Ankara.

His visit to Kenya on Friday was his second to a full African member of the ICC and a media coup for Bashir. He travelled to Chad last month.

Rights groups censured Kenya which has its own case pending in the ICC over post-elections violence. South Africa and Botswana are among the few African nations who have defied the AU and said they would implement the ICC warrant. (Reporting by Opheera McDoom; Editing by Peter Graff)

Kenya in vigorous defence of Bashir's visit

Daily Nation - Njeri Rugene - ‎Tuesday, 31 August 2010

Kenya's minister for foreign affairs Mosses Wetangula addresses a press conferences at his office. The minister on Tuesday gave a spirited defence in ...

Al-Bashir visit to Kenya was in order, says AU

Daily Nation - ‎‎Tuesday, 31 August 2010

Hezron Njoroge | NATION Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir (centre) speaks to an aide after attending the historic promulgation of the new Constitution at ...

Kenya defends Bashir's visit

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation -

‎‎Tuesday, 31 August 2010

The government's commitment to cooperate with the Intrnational Criminal Court to prosecute post election violence suspects was put to question in parliament ...

Kenya, African Union defend Bashir visit

CNN International - ‎

- ‎‎Tuesday, 31 August 2010

By the CNN Wire Staff Al-Bashir, right, alongside Comoros President Ahmed Sambi Abdallah, center, and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, left. ...

Kenyan Lawmaker to Demand Answers about Sudan Leader's Visit

Voice of America - Peter Clottey - ‎22 hours ago‎

Photo: AP A Kenyan lawmaker told VOA he will demand answers from the foreign minister in parliament Tuesday about the controversial invitation of Sudan's ...

Sudan: UN Protests Over Al-Bashir's Visit to Nation

AllAfrica.com - ‎

‎‎Tuesday, 31 August 2010

The President of Sudan has committed crimes against humanity-crimes against Africans and yet the African Union is prepared to keep quiet about it. ...

EU: Statement by the spokesperson of HR Catherine Ashton on Sudanese President Al-Bashir's visit to Kenya

HERE below, followed by some related news reports, is a copy of a statement issued on Friday, 27 August 2010 from the European Union (EU) in Brussels by the spokesperson of High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission Catherine Ashton.

EU raps Kenya over Bashir visit
From KBC (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation)
By Rosalia Opondo/Millicent Awuor
Monday, 30 August 2010

The European Union on Monday warned Kenya to tread carefully to avoid violating international laws.

This follows the presence of Sudanese President Omar El Bashir in last Friday's constitution promulgation ceremony despite there being a warrant of arrest for him by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The EU urged the country to stick to its mandate and obligation under the Rome statute that she is a signatory to.

The Sudanese President is being sought by ICC for crimes against humanity committed in the Darfur region where thousands have died and millions others displaced in a conflict pitting the country's military and police against rebel groups.

In a statement, the spokesperson of the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton said Kenya should respect its obligations under international law to arrest and surrender those indicted by the ICC.

The EU asked Kenya to continue to cooperate with the ICC in its investigation into the 2007-2008 post-election violence in the country where several people are being investigated by the court.

"The European Union is a staunch supporter of the ICC as a valuable instrument of the international community to combat impunity for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole; genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes must not go unpunished and their prosecution must be ensured by measures at both domestic and international level, " Ashton said.

On Sunday former UN Secretary General and chairperson of the Eminent African personalities Kofi Annan said he was surprised to see Bashir in Nairobi.

Annan who brokered the National Accord to end a bloody conflict following the disputed results of the 2007 presidential elections and who attended the ceremony on Friday demanded that the Kenyan government clarifies its position, commitment and cooperation with the International Criminal Court.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has however defended Bashir's visit saying Kenya has no apologies to make as it placed regional integration and security above international laws.

- - -

EU urges Kenya to arrest Bashir, hand him to court
Report from AFP and EU Business - Friday, 27 August 2010, 18:19 CET

(BRUSSELS) - European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged Kenya on Friday to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and hand him over to an international court to face genocide charges.

"The high representative is concerned by the visit of President Omar Al-Bashir to Kenya, a State party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC)," Ashton's office said in a statement.

"She urges Kenya to respect its obligations under international law to arrest and surrender those indicted by the ICC," it said.

Bashir was among several African leaders who attended a ceremony in Nairobi in which Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki signed a new constitution into law.

The Sudanese president is subject to two arrest warrants issued by the ICC for atrocities committed by his forces in Sudan's western province of Darfur.

Kenya, as a signatory to the treaty which set up the ICC, is obliged to cooperate with the court and arrest Bashir.

It was Bashir's second visit to a signatory of the Rome Statute following a trip to Chad last month. At the time, Ashton had also urged Chad to arrest Bashir, but Chad ignored her plea.

The chief EU diplomat said the ICC was a "valuable instrument of the international community to combat impunity for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole."

She added that "genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes must not go unpunished and their prosecution must be ensured by measures at both domestic and international level."

In her statement, Ashton also urged Nairobi "to continue to cooperate with the ICC in its investigation into the 2007-2008 post-election violence" in Kenya.

Text and Picture Copyright 2010 AFP. All other Copyright 2010 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable

Related reports:

• EU chiefs salute Kenyan voters
• EU earmarks money for Kenyan camps housing Somali refugees
• EU to urge Sudan to meet Bashir arrest obligation
• EU urges Chad to arrest Beshir
• Expulsion of Darfur aid chiefs hurts Sudanese people: EU

- - -

Statement by the spokesperson of HR Catherine Ashton on President Al-Bashir's visit to Kenya
Source: EUROPEAN UNION
Brussels, 27 August 2010
A 169/10 - Copy in full:

The spokesperson of High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission Catherine Ashton issued the following statement today:

"The High Representative is concerned by the visit of President Omar Al-Bashir to Kenya, a State party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

She firmly recalls the importance of all Member States of the United Nations abiding by and implementing the resolutions adopted by the Security Council under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, in this case, UNSCR 1593 (2005). She urges Kenya to respect its obligations under international law to arrest and surrender those indicted by the ICC.

She calls upon Kenya to continue to cooperate with the ICC in its investigation into the 2007-2008 post-election violence.

The European Union is a staunch supporter of the ICC as a valuable instrument of the international community to combat impunity for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole; genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes must not go unpunished and their prosecution must be ensured by measures at both domestic and international level."

PRESS
FOR FURTHER DETAILS:
Maja Kocijancic +32 498 984 425 - +32 2 298 65 70 - Maja.Kocijancic@ec.europa.eu
Darren Ennis +32 498 963 293 - +32 2 296 32 93 - Darren.Ennis@ec.europa.eu
COMM-SPP-HRVP-ASHTON@ec.europa.eu
www.eeas.europa.eu

ICC issues Press Release about Sudanese President Bashir’s visits to Kenya and Chad

Press Release: 27.08.2010

عربي

Pre-Trial Chamber I informs the Security Council and the Assembly of States Parties about Omar Al Bashir’s visits to Kenya and Chad

ICC-CPI-20100827-PR568

Case: The Prosecutor v. Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir
Situation: Darfur, Sudan

Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued two decisions informing the Security Council of the United Nations and the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute about Omar Al Bashir’s visits to the Republic of Kenya and the Republic of Chad, “in order for them to take any measure they may deem appropriate”.

The Chamber had learnt that Al Bashir was invited by the Government of Kenya to attend today’s celebrations for the promulgation of the new Kenyan Constitution and was in Chad from 21 to 23 July. The Republic of Kenya and the Republic of Chad have an “obligation to cooperate with the Court” to enforce the warrants of arrest issued against Al Bashir by the ICC, according to the Chamber.

The ICC Registrar was ordered to immediately transmit these decisions to the Security Council and to the Assembly of States Parties. Previously, pursuant to the Pre-Trial Chamber decisions issuing two warrants of arrest against Omar Al Bashir, the ICC Registrar had issued and transmitted requests for arrest and surrender of Mr. Al Bashir to all States Parties to the Rome Statute, including the Republic of Kenya and the Republic of Chad.

On 4 March, 2009, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the ICC issued a first warrant of arrest against Mr. Al Bashir considering that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the suspect is criminally responsible for five counts of crimes against humanity and two counts for war crimes. A second warrant of arrest was issued against Mr. Al Bashir, on 12 July, 2010, for three counts of genocide.

The situation in Darfur was referred to the International Criminal Court by the United Nations Security Council’s resolution 1593, on 31 March, 2005. In this situation, four cases are being heard: The Prosecutor v. Ahmad Muhammad Harun (“Ahmad Harun”) and Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman (“Ali Kushayb”); The Prosecutor v. Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir; The Prosecutor v. Bahar Idriss Abu Garda and The Prosecutor v. Abdallah Banda Abakaer Nourain and Saleh Mohammed Jerbo Jamus.

Decision informing the United Nations Security Council and the Assembly of the States Parties to the Rome Statute about Omar Al-Bashir's presence in the territory of the Republic of Kenya

Decision informing the United Nations Security Council and the Assembly of the States Parties to the Rome Statute about Omar Al-Bashir's recent visit to the Republic of Chad

For further information please contact Sonia Robla, Chief of Public Information and Documentation Section, at +31 (0)70 515-8089 or +31 (0) 6 46 44 87 26 or at sonia.robla@icc-cpi.int

25,000 Kenyans living in southern Sudan can not vote on constitutional referendum

Report by Radio Miraya - Wednesday, 04 August 2010 20:57
Last Updated Thursday, 05 August 2010 09:58:

Kenyans living in S Sudan can not vote on constitutional referendum

The Kenya Consul in Juba, Ibrahim Khamis, has said that over twenty five thousand Kenyans living in Southern Sudan can not vote on a constitutional referendum process which started on Wednesday.

Khamis said that the Kenyans living in southern Sudan could not participate in the voting process because the consulate is not legally registered as a polling station. He added that some of the Kenyans have traveled home in order to vote.

Kenya Airways starts flights to Juba, S. Sudan

Report by Radio Miraya - Tuesday, 08 June 2010 14:32:

The Kenya Airways has made its first flight to Southern Sudan on Tuesday. In an official launch ceremony attended by senior officials of Southern Sudan, the Vice President Riek Machar Teny said that Kenya Airways operation in Southern Sudan will boost economy of the region. Machar said that Juba airport still lacks landing safety, security, water, and lighting on the runway.

The Southern Sudan Caretaker Minister of Roads and Transport, Anthony Lino Makana said that the coming of Kenya Airways to Juba is a landmark towards development of Southern Sudan.

Makana said Juba airport at the moment receive average of seventy planes every day. He also said there are plans to improve Juba international airport.

Kenyan donor money and firms helping build S. Sudan

Sudan: Donor Money And Firms Helping Build South
Report from Daily Nation On The Web (via AllAfrica) by Murithi Mutiga - Saturday, 5 June 2010:

(Nairobi) - Kenya is accustomed to being a recipient of aid. But in its relationship with Southern Sudan, it is playing a new and unfamiliar role: That of donor country.

The government is investing millions of shillings to set up new administrative structures in the South, underscoring the importance it attaches to its relationship with the government in Juba.

Kenya has given US$5 million (Sh400m) to boost the capacity of the South's civil service and has sent dozens of its own experienced public officials to train their counterparts across the border.

Most of this assistance is motivated by strategic calculations based on the expected outcome of a referendum on self-determination expected in Southern Sudan next year.

Opinion polls and Sunday Nation interviews with key leaders in the region indicate the referendum is overwhelmingly likely to result in the breaking up of Sudan, continent's biggest country, to establish Africa's 54th state.

Such an outcome would have a major impact on the economies of neighbours Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia. The three are locked in a race to cement their influence in Southern Sudan and are working to position themselves to benefit from the likely emergence of the new state.

Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetang'ula said the government would respect the outcome of the referendum.

"Kenya has always played a neutral role. Down the years, we hosted the Sudan embassy and the offices of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM). That is why we were chosen to host the peace talks. As part of the deal that ended the fighting, both parties were supposed to work to make unity attractive. The referendum is a key component of the peace agreement, and we will be happy to recognise a result that endorses unity or one that leads to separation," he said.

While Kenya has long been criticised for punching below its geopolitical weight in its approach to foreign policy in the region, it is employing an unusually muscular approach in Southern Sudan. It has spent millions of shillings and expended considerable diplomatic capital to take advantage of the opportunities opening up in the region.

According to a new report by the International Crisis Group titled Regional perspectives on the prospect of southern independence, Kenyan investment in Southern Sudan is substantial.

A Southern Sudan Liaison Office has been set up at the Office of the President in Nairobi. The unit, the report says, is "dedicated to supporting the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) and the SPLM. Led by diplomats with knowledge of the Sudan file, its mandate includes monitoring the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, advising President Kibaki and serving as the principal liaison for the majority of official interaction with Juba. It also advises Kenyan business interests and facilitates commercial links between investors and the GoSS."

The Kenya Institute of Administration, which is the traditional training centre for civil servants in Kenya, has set up a campus in Juba to contribute to training programmes in the region.

According to the ICG, Kenyan civil servants are taking part in a separate training programme run by the United Nations Development Programme.

Legal experts from Nairobi are working with the parliament in Juba to help in drafting legislation, while Southern Sudan "regularly sends senior ministry officials to Nairobi where they shadow their Kenyan counterparts".

Military ties

The report says there are also significant and growing military ties between the two partners.

"The Kenyan army trains SPLA (Sudan People's Liberation Army) officers and provides other technical support, including several de-mining classes at the International Mine Action School in Embakasi. It also maintains a rotating battalion of peacekeepers in the South as part of the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)."

Mr Wetang'ula says this deep relationship is explained by historical circumstances.

"Kenya hosted more than 100,000 Southerners during the civil war. Most leaders of the SPLM maintain their homes in Nairobi, and their children study here. The people in the South also feel a greater affinity to people in the East African region because of shared roots, perhaps more than they do with their brothers in the Arab North."

The minister said the relationship is not driven solely by Kenyan economic interests in the South as ties between the two will be "mutually beneficial".

Economists say the potential benefits for Kenya in the event the South votes for separation are staggering. "This is a potential game changer," said investment banker and analyst Aly-Khan Satchu.

"Kenya's economy rides on the coattails of its neighbours, and two events in the recent past will mean the economy will never be the same again. Uganda's expected revenue from oil is 20 times more than their current Gross Domestic Product while Southern Sudan presents massive opportunities."

Mr Satchu said the South's potential should not just be viewed through the lens of potential oil revenue, which has hovered between the US$1.5 billion (Sh120 billion) and US$ 2 billion (Sh160 billion) mark in the last five years.

"It is widely thought that the South is not getting its fair share of oil revenues from the North under the current agreement, so they may end up getting far higher income after the separation. But there is far more potential in the region. There are vast untapped gold deposits, and there is great potential for agriculture.

The South needs a route to sea, and Kenya will be able to offer that. The question is whether we can complete the infrastructure programmes necessary fast enough to take advantage."

The centrepiece of Kenya's efforts to take advantage of the looming independence of the South is the Lamu port, which is expected to cost about Sh1.2 trillion.

The Chinese-built facility would ease dependence on the port of Mombasa, which has been criticised as inefficient by officials in many neighbouring countries that depend on it.

A railway line from Juba through Isiolo and Lamu is also planned as is a 1,400-km pipeline from Juba to the Lamu port. Japanese firm Toyota Tsusho has expressed an interest in building the $1.5 billion (Sh120 billion) line, which would provide Southern Sudan with a more attractive export route than the existing 1,600km line to Port Sudan in the North.

These ambitious projects have been billed as having the potential to treble Kenya's export income. But a familiar challenge stands in the way.

Demands by senior government officials for large bribes before they commission many of the projects have delayed implementation, to the frustration of officials in Southern Sudan and other governments in the region.

Several western diplomatic sources and a number of government officials with knowledge of the matter who requested anonymity said Kenya has a direct interest in completing the projects, but corruption was stalling implementation.

While Uganda has nearly completed repairs of the Gulu-Juba road which is an important transport link to the region, Kenya is still in the commissioning stages for its railway projects and a feasibility study on the Lamu port is only now being undertaken.

Cohesive team

Mr Satchu says government officials must work in concert to implement these initiatives.

"We need more proactive management on a day to day basis. We don't seem to have a cohesive team on the ground working to advance Kenya's economic interests. We have major infrastructure deficits. Considering how clear the economic benefits of implementation of these projects are, we should be working far more proactively."

Like Uganda, Kenya has sent thousands of skilled workers to Southern Sudan, and it will have to work to avoid creating the impression that it is benefiting disproportionately from the economic opportunities in the South to the exclusion of locals.

The weak level of non-oil exports from Southern Sudan is partly blamed on the resource curse which diminishes productivity in other sectors in some Third World countries.

The prominent academic and blogger John A. Akec has lamented this situation.

"In the last five years, establishing a system to collect taxes has been slow. Development of other means of income has not started. We imported everything from chicken, to tomato, to razor, to toilet rolls from Uganda and Kenya; and exported nothing to them. We sent our children to Uganda and Kenya for their education, and rushed there ourselves when not feeling well to buy the medical services from these countries or travel further afield in quest for medical treatment. Seventy per cent of South Sudan income was paid out as salaries in the public sector, while getting nothing back by the of way economic output."

Kenyan officials say they are trying to help the South diversify its economy by investing heavily in manpower development and training programmes.

Mr Wetang'ula pointed out that Kenyan educational institutions do not charge a higher fee for students from the South, which is the practice for students from outside the East African Community.

The efforts to boost cultural ties, he said, were also demonstrated by the opening of a University of Nairobi campus in Lokichoggio on the Kenyan border with the South. The biggest population of students there is Southern Sudanese.

But all the bets on a major leap in economic ties may fall through, however, if the North and the South do not respect their obligations under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

So far, both sides have largely respected the deal. But some southern ministers have warned that they will demand a unilateral declaration of independence if anything happens to disrupt the referendum, something which Kenya has cautioned against.