For Immediate Release
February 19, 2009
Contact
Eileen White Read, 202.741.6376
[email protected]
STRATEGY PAPER: Peace on the Rocks:
Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement
(Read the full strategy paper)
By Adam O’Brien | February 19, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC – The precarious peace between northern and southern Sudan stands at a crucial crossroads. Intended by its architects as the cornerstone of peace in a country fractured by conflict, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, or CPA, has been hamstrung by the National Congress Party’s intransigence, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement’s growing pains, and the international community’s neglect. With two years remaining before a referendum on self-determination for the south, confidence in the CPA is diminishing, mistrust between the parties is mounting, and both sides are arming in preparation for a resumption of hostilities. The International Criminal Court’s, or ICC’s, forthcoming arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will further isolate the NCP and adds an additional layer of uncertainty to the CPA’s fate.
Enough’s latest strategy paper provides an overview of the challenges to CPA implementation, with recommendations for the Obama administration on how to get the deal back on track. “The CPA is not a lost cause,” says report author and Enough field researcher Adam O’Brien. “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 the essential foundation for peace in Sudan.”
“The cost of the CPA’s collapse would be immense,” says Enough’s Executive Director John Norris. “If the United States and its allies do not get the CPA back on track, they could face a new civil war in Sudan and the violent dissolution of Sudan as a state.”
(Read the full strategy paper)
Visit the Enough Project’s blog, Enough Said, for updates on this issue.
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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, Chad, eastern Congo, northern Uganda, Somalia, and Zimbabwe. 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. To learn more about Enough and what you can do to help, go to www.enoughproject.org.
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