Enough’s latest publication, Peace on the Rocks, calls for the United States to reinvigorate efforts to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, or CPA. Given the history of U.S. leadership in brokering this peace deal, the Obama administration and Congress must take important steps to show a renewed American commitment to a lasting peace. Such steps include naming a high-level Special Envoy for Sudan with proper resources to be successful.
Enough’s view mirrors that of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, which recently released its policy recommendations for Sudan, based in part on testimony from Enough Co-chair John Prendergast. After a nod to U.S. leadership in brokering the CPA in 2005, the commission states that successful implementation of the CPA is crucial to ending the deliberate marginalization of all Sudan’s regions, including Darfur.
At a time when both sides seem to be in something of an arms race, it is crucial that the implementation of the CPA gets back on track. On the ground in the South, Sabina Carlson stressed the importance of what it stands for to the people of Sudan. As Adam O’Brien, the report author and Enough field researcher notes, “The CPA is not a lost cause. However, it badly needs focused support from the international community in terms of both incentives and pressure to send a clear and consistent message that full implementation of the agreement is that essential foundation for peace in Sudan.”