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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jonathan Hutson, 202-386-1618
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REPORT RELEASE: Preparing for Two Sudans
Read the report: https://enoughproject.org/publications/two-sudans
JUBA, SUDAN/ WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Enough Project at the Center for American Progress today released the following statement:
All signs indicate that Sudan, Africa’s largest state, will very soon split in two – either peacefully or violently. The Obama administration must do its utmost to prevent a return to full-scale war in Sudan, argues a new report from the Enough Project at the Center for American Progress.
In a self-determination referendum scheduled for January 2011, the people of southern Sudan are widely expected to vote for separation from their northern neighbors. Yet with the security situation in southern Sudan still highly volatile, next month’s national election is set to be deeply flawed, and several crucial elements of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, or CPA, still unimplemented, the referendum and its outcome are by no means guaranteed.
As a guarantor of the CPA, the United States must work multilaterally on several fronts to support the peaceful expression of the will of the people of southern Sudan and prevent a return to conflict, argues the report by Maggie Fick, Enough's Juba, Sudan-based policy researcher.
"The Sudanese parties must complete many difficult tasks to prepare for the 2011 referendum and its outcome,” says Fick. “The international community’s role is to reduce the likelihood that the upcoming negotiations occur in an environment so politically charged that consensus between the parties becomes impossible.”
The Obama administration must put meaningful pressure on Sudan's two largest political parties —the National Congress Party, or NCP, and the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army/Movement, or SPLA/M— to find common ground on the CPA and the contentious issues that will accompany an independent southern Sudan. This approach is consistent with the Sudan policy unveiled by the Obama administration in October 2009 – although that policy has been implemented very unevenly to date.
John Norris, Executive Director of the Enough Project notes, “There does not seem to be a clear road map for Sudan policy among key international actors as Sudan approaches a vital end game with regard to southern independence. That lack of well-orchestrated international diplomacy is a real liability, and will only make it more likely that small provocations on the ground can set off a much larger fire in the months ahead.”
Read the report: https://enoughproject.org/publications/two-sudans
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Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, Enough focuses on crises in Sudan, eastern Congo, and areas of Africa affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Enough’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. For more information, please visit www.enoughproject.org.