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Author: Jenn Christian

In Sudan and South Sudan, Signs of Progress but also a Need for Vigilance

South Sudan
In Sudan and South Sudan, Signs of Progress but also a Need for Vigilance
Within the last two weeks, signs of progress have emerged from the two Sudans. In the context of tense negotiations between Khartoum and Juba, the developments are noteworthy but should be met with cautious optimism and vigilance by the international community ...

FACT SHEET: What Could the Oil Shutdown Mean for South Sudan?

South Sudan
FACT SHEET: What Could the Oil Shutdown Mean for South Sudan?
In late January 2012, the government of South Sudan made the unprecedented decision to shut down oil production throughout the young country. The decision resulted from an impasse in negotiations between Juba and Khartoum over the financial terms and conditions by which the South would export its oil through Sudan ...

Can the U.S. Use its Upcoming Security Council Presidency to Help Save Lives in Sudan?

Can the U.S. Use its Upcoming Security Council Presidency to Help Save Lives in Sudan?
The Security Council did something truly extraordinary last week, particularly given recent dissent among its members over Syria and other geopolitical issues implicating human rights: on March 6 it issued a Presidential Statement on Sudan and South Sudan that appears to exhibit a growing international consensus on certain critical issues ...

The Doha Document for Peace in Darfur: To Be Or Not To Be?

The Doha Document for Peace in Darfur: To Be Or Not To Be?
The commission monitoring the implementation of the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur, or DDPD, convened its second meeting in El Fasher, Darfur last month. But some separate statements by prominent Darfuri leaders who aren’t part of the Doha process highlight the need for a forthright assessment of what the DDPD can tangibly accomplish in terms of security and lasting peace in Darfur ...

South Sudan President Calls for Comprehensive Approach to Outstanding North-South Issues

South Sudan
South Sudan President Calls for Comprehensive Approach to Outstanding North-South Issues
On Thursday, South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir issued a press statement outlining the reasons why the government of the Republic of South Sudan, or RSS, recently rejected a deal ostensibly designed to avoid the complete shutdown of oil production in South Sudan. Kiir further stressed that lasting peace between Sudan and South Sudan will not be found in an agreement concerning oil alone, but, rather, must be built atop resolutions to outstanding issues related to the disputed Abyei area and the North-South border, in addition to the economic and oil concerns that have recently stalled negotiations between Sudan and the ...

Khartoum and the International Community: Breaking the Cycle of Theft and Complacency

Khartoum and the International Community: Breaking the Cycle of Theft and Complacency
Ahead of last week’s negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan on a commercial oil agreement, allegations came to light that the government of Sudan is again up to its old thieving tricks. This op-ed originally appeared on Global Post ...

Human Rights Body Should Urgently Review Submission by Ngok Dinka People of Abyei

Human Rights Body Should Urgently Review Submission by Ngok Dinka People of Abyei
On the one-year anniversary of the commencement of the Southern Sudan referendum, January 9, 2012, the Ngok Dinka people of the disputed Abyei Area formally requested that the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, or CERD, immediately consider the actions of the Sudanese government vis-à-vis the Ngok Dinka people in Abyei ...

Sudan: A Year of International Accomplishments and Failures

Sudan: A Year of International Accomplishments and Failures
2011 was a remarkable year in Sudan. Not only did the world look on as a new nation, the Republic of South Sudan, was born, but it also bore witness to, and largely failed to address, reoccurring human rights violations committed by Sudanese government and government-backed forces in Abyei, Blue Nile, Darfur, and South Kordofan ...

Filling Sudan’s ‘Fiscal Gap:’ A Question of the International Community’s Generosity or of Limiting Khartoum’s Defense Budget?

Filling Sudan’s ‘Fiscal Gap:’ A Question of the International Community’s Generosity or of Limiting Khartoum’s Defense Budget?
Late last month, representatives from the Sudanese and South Sudanese governments met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia under the auspices of the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel, or AUHIP, for yet another round of negotiations on outstanding North-South issues. Central among these issues are “financial transitional arrangements,” a euphemism for how much money Juba, along with, perhaps, the international community, can pay Khartoum to offset Sudan’s “fiscal gap” resulting from South Sudan’s secession ...

Sudan Report: Ongoing Negotiations between the Two Sudans

Sudan Report: Ongoing Negotiations between the Two Sudans
In a new report, “Negotiations between the Two Sudans: Where They Have Been, Where They Are Going,” the Enough Project examines the proposals laid out by the AUHIP, the SPLM/RSS, and the GoS during the last round of negotiations held last month in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The report indicates that although the SPLM/RSS made significant concessions this time around, the GoS demonstrated a lack of political will to negotiate. While the two parties remain far apart in their positions on three key issues—transitional financial arrangements including oil-related fees, the status of Abyei, and border management—a package deal addressing all three ...