Since the re-taking of the disputed area of Heglig by the South Sudan army last Monday, a move that has dramatically escalated hostilities between Sudan and South Sudan, the military situation has been marked by flare-ups along the North-South border and constant bombings of South Sudan by Sudan. Now the expectation is that a large counter-offensive by Sudan into Heglig could begin at any moment.
International confusion and ignorance in answering this question about Sudanese geography has become one of the greatest threats to peace, and the negotiations required for peace to be sustained, writes Sudan specialist Eric Reeves.
Both the U.N. Security Council and the A.U. Peace and Security Council issued statements about the rising conflict between Sudan and South Sudan yesterday, with the U.N. demanding and the A.U. calling on both countries to immediately to deescalate conflict along their ill-defined international border, including the South withdrawing from Heglig and the Sudan Armed Forces, or SAF, ceasing aerial bombardments in South Sudan.
This op-ed co-authored with actor George Clooney originally appeared on Time.com. On the surface, our recent trip to the rebel-held areas of Sudan’s Nuba Mountains hauntingly echoed earlier visits to Darfur and South Sudan. A huge group of people—targeted by their government in Khartoum because of their ethnicity, the rich land they live on, and their resistance to dictatorship—are being serially bombarded, raped, abducted, and starved in this case for the second time in the last two decades. The culprit remains the same as well: the Khartoum regime led by General Omar al-Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. This human rights catastrophe within Sudan is unfolding alongside a virtual state of war between Sudan and South Sudan, playing itself out in the border oilfields not far from the Nuba Mountains.
Reports emerged late today that South Sudan’s military forces, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, or SPLA, may have again taken control of South Kordofan state’s Heglig, home to Sudan’s largest remaining source of oil following the South’s secession. If true, this would mark the second time in weeks that the SPLA has occupied territory well within Sudan, and comes amid escalating violence along the ill-defined international border separating Sudan and South Sudan.
Once again, relations between Sudan and South Sudan are teetering on the brink of war. Over the past week, fighting along the border between the two nations, and aerial bombardment by the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, deep into the territory of South Sudan have nearly destroyed rising hopes that the two countries would strike a deal in the near future on outstanding disputes. However, some hope still lives on in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, where officials cling to the possibility that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir will proceed with his visit to Juba on April 3 for a tête-à-tête with South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir.
A new Small Arms Survey report released last week cites evidence of external support of the White Army. After conducting research in Akobo, Likuongole, and the area surrounding Pibor town, Small Arms Survey found evidence of linking the White Army to weapons and ammunition identical to those used by both the SPLA and prominent rebel groups in South Sudan.
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.
In a recently released fact sheet, “What Could the Oil Shutdown Mean for South Sudan?” Sudan Policy Analyst Jennifer Christian outlines what the January 2012 oil production shutdown in South Sudan means for the economic future of the country.
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.
South Sudan’s recent decision to shut down oil production has serious economic and political consequences for the world’s newest nation, according to a new Enough Project report. The report, What Could the Oil Shutdown Mean for South Sudan?, identifies possible effects of the oil shutdown, including increased food insecurity, reductions in government-funded development projects, layoffs or salary cuts for government employees, and escalated tensions with Sudan.
In a surprising move of cooperation, South Sudan and Sudan initialed agreements on citizenship and border demarcation in the latest round of talks in Addis Ababa, in the midst of heightened tensions and rhetoric between the two countries.
Since the early 1900s countries around the world have celebrated International Women’s Day as a time to recognize the role of women in society and mobilize against injustices specifically impacting half of the world’s population. At Enough, rather than confining our commemoration to just one day—March 8—we’re giving a special focus to women all this week, to highlight how the conflicts we’re working to end affect women and girls, and to recognize the work of heroes advocating on their behalf. For Day 4 of our International Women’s Week coverage, Sarah Danielson, a guest blogger from Enough partner organization My Sister’s Keeper, writes about her group’s work to empower women in Sudan and South Sudan.
Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA), a longtime advocate for Sudan and co-chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, just returned from a trip to South Sudan. In this guest blog post, he reflects on his visit, which he says reinforced his strong view that international action must be taken to curb Sudanese President Bashir.
At 1:20 p.m., on February 29, oil technicians who had just arrived at El Nar oilfield in South Sudan were thrown into a momentary state of panic by a round of bombings that South Sudanese leaders allege came from the Sudanese army. Journalists, Enough, and staff from the petroleum ministry in Juba were shown three craters left by the impact of the bombs, in sites approximately 10 to 15 kilometers from the North-South border, on a recent trip sponsored by the South Sudan government.
This piece first appeared as part of New York Times "Room for Debate." Enough Project Co-founder John Prendergast and other debaters—including Oxfam’s Sudan Country Director El Fateh Osman, Former Special Envoy to Sudan Andrew S. Natsios, Girifna member Dalia Haj-Omar, Chair of Islamic Studies at American University Akbar Ahmed, National Director of STAND Daniel Soloman, and Heritage Foundation Research Associate Morgan Roach—address the question: How can world leaders prevent another humanitarian disaster from taking place in Sudan?
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?
While the government of South Sudan is pondering the best way to tackle growing insecurity and prospects of persistent inter-communal hostility, the restive state of Jonglei, the scene of the recent deadly clashes, is enveloped in fear, anxiety, and anticipation of likely reprisal attacks—a situation which, if not handled sensibly, may escalate.
For the last year and a half, Sudan and South Sudan have been negotiating the arrangements of their separation, including the amount of money the South should pay to pump its oil through pipelines in the North. The talks have rested on the key assumption that both sides would work toward the viability of the other state, but that conventional wisdom is now being tested. This piece originally appeared on Global Post.
The long-standing Lou Nuer-Murle feud in Jonglei state claimed the lives of a large number of civilians when some 6,000 Lou Nuer youth attacked the rival Murle in Pibor town at the end of December and early January. United Nations officials in the country cannot provide the exact number of people killed, but the U.N. estimates that 140,000 people were affected by the violence. Some 70 Murle and 88 Lou Nuer are housed at the Juba Teaching Hospital, undergoing treatement. These patients, among the most severely injured, are a stark reminder of the challenges the new South Sudanese nation faces.
The Enough Project is no longer operational. Its mission is continued by The Sentry, an investigative organization providing new leverage for human rights, peace, and anti-corruption efforts. Explore The Sentry’s work at TheSentry.org.