Assembly/AU/Decl.2(XVII) Page 1 SOLEMN DECLARATION ON THE SUDAN We, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU), meeting at our 17th Ordinary Session in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, from 30 June to 1 July 2011, reviewed the situation in Sudan. Our deliberations were informed by the progress that the Sudanese parties continue to make in their quest for lasting peace, justice and reconciliation in their country, in spite of the many challenges confronting them; We reiterate our appreciation to the people of Sudan, under the leadership of President Omar Hassan Al Bashir and First Vice-President and President of the Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS), Salva Kiir Mayardit, for having successfully conducted the self-determination referendum of January 2011 for Southern Sudan, the main pillar of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). In so doing, the people and leaders of Sudan have, once again, demonstrated their capacity, with genuine support from the international community, to address the myriad of challenges confronting them. We commend President Al Bashir for having promptly accepted the results of the referendum, in keeping with the undertaking that he made to respect the will of the people of Southern Sudan, whatever their choice is; As We look forward to welcoming Southern Sudan as the newest Member State of the African Union, immediately upon its independence on 9 July 2011, We would like to commend the people of northern Sudan, who have taken the unprecedented and generous step of accepting self-determination for their brethren. We emphasize that northern and southern Sudan are equally African nations; We note with appreciation that our present Summit coincides with further progress in the resolution of the pending issues in the implementation process of the CPA. In this respect, we welcome the signing, in Addis Ababa, on 20 June 2011, by the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the Sudan People‟s Liberation Movement (SPLM), of an Agreement on Temporary Arrangements for the Administration and Security of Abyei Area, under the facilitation of the AU High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP). This Agreement will enable security to be established and displaced persons to return to their homes in that district, as well as create conditions under which the Panel can make its recommendation on the final status of Abyei at a time to be agreed upon. We commend the Government of Ethiopia for its invaluable contribution to the conclusion of this Agreement and for its decision to deploy a force, under a UN mandate, to facilitate its implementation; We hail the Framework Agreement on Political Partnership and Political and Security Arrangements in Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan, signed, under the facilitation of the AUHIP, in Addis Ababa, on 28 June 2011, by the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People‟s Liberation Movement (North), as a decisive step towards consolidating peace, security and democracy in the Republic of Sudan. We congratulate the parties on their commitment to the peaceful resolution of their differences and call upon them immediately to cease hostilities, allow humanitarian access, and facilitate the return of displaced persons to their homes; We are confident that the Sudanese Parties to the CPA will continue to demonstrate the commitment required to complete the implementation of the CPA and finalize the post-referendum negotiations, with the support of the AUHIP and in the spirit of creating two viable states, mutually supportive and at peace with one another;