Blog Posts in Sudan Now

The recent spate of violence in Jonglei state has drawn the world’s attention to the cyclical problem of inter-communal violence in South Sudan. When another round of violence between the Lou-Nuer and Murle people reignited in late December 2011, it was accompanied by disturbing press releases from the so-called Lou-Nuer White Army calling for the extermination of the Murle people, which appalled the public in South Sudan and beyond. Leading officials from Jonglei state, including the governor himself, do not give too much importance to these statements, but are they being too dismissive?

The new round of talks following South Sudan’s decision to cut off its oil flow through Sudan failed to produce a deal on the key unresolved issues between the two states. The oil shutdown, a move that drastically changed the negotiating dynamics, was only the latest unilateral action that has caused the gap between the two sides to widen even further. The parties will reconvene in a week, on February 23, according to the South’s lead negotiator.