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US-Sudan relations and the 2011 referendum: peace building at stake



United States and Sudan have had strained relations since the 1990’s due to Sudan’s support of Iraq during the US-Kuwait conflict and claims that Sudan was harbouring key Al-Qaeda operatives, including Osama bin Laden. The Sudanese government in Khartoum denied involvement with terrorists. However, Sudan was, and still is, officially designated by the United States as a sponsor of terrorism.

In 2000, the US and Sudan entered into bilateral dialogues on counter-terrorism. This was stymied by the 9/11 attacks on the US homeland in 2001. Paradoxically, the US, over the past 10 years has conducted large peace building programs in Sudan, such as the Sudan Peace Fund (SPF) and the Southern Sudan Transition Initiative (SSTI), as well as education, agriculture and other development programs. Their combined effort aimed to create the conditions necessary for rehabilitation and pave the way for governance. The main difference between the two peace building programs was the type of conflict addressed.

Basically, SPF sought to promote people-to-people dialogue to mitigate inter-communal conflicts, frequently resulting in bilateral agreements that addressed trigger points between tribes. SSTI aimed to address political conflict and to create links between grassroots initiatives, local authorities and opportunities to promote participation of the Sudanese people in both peace building and good governance practices.

I was involved, as part of a team, in the evaluation of these two programs in 2005.

One purpose of the evaluation was to document what impact the SPF and SSTI programs had and to determine whether, and how, they contributed to establishing the foundation for a durable peace with the broad participation of the Sudanese people.

The three year period that began with the signing of the Machakos Protocol in July 2002 culminated in January 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the (Northern) National Congress Party headed by President Omar al-Bashir and the Southern People’s Liberation Movement, headed by John Garang. It ended with the swearing in of the Government of National Unity in July 2005, giving Southern Sudan regional autonomy for six years. On July 30, 2005, John Garang died in a helicopter accident and Salva Kiir Mayardit, now the President of Southern Sudan and Vice President of Sudan, assumed leadership.

One facet of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was that, after six years of regional autonomy, a referendum would be held in Sudan to vote on separation of the South from the North (the Khartoum government). If so, it will give Southern Sudan independence.

The referendum is due to be held in January 2011. Tensions are building leading up to the voting process. There are claims that the National Congress Party wants to delay the referendum until border disputes between the North and the South are resolved. The government of Southern Sudan appears to be intent on holding the referendum as planned.

On Monday, November 1, 2010, President Obama renewed sanctions on Sudan to put pressure on them to hold the referendum on time. Voter registration commenced on November 15. The United States will be watching the referendum process, its potential for conflict, and its impact on the US-Sudan peace building relations.

[I was interviewed on November 7, 2010, for the Radio Sudan Project in Pennsylvania, regarding this issue and my novel, The Sudan Curse.]
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