South Sudan Peacekeeping Mission

Hilde Johnson, special representative of the U.N. Secretary General and head of the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) spoke at the US Institute of Peace on 8 March 2013 about the UN peacekeeping operation there.  She singled out Jonglei Province, where five UN peacekeepers and seven civilians were recently killed, as an especially troublesome area.

Click here to read a summary of her remarks.

China's Engagement in Sudan

Daniel Large, a research associate at the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), wrote a paper in April 2012 titled Between the CPA and Southern Independence: China's Post-Conflict Engagement in Sudan.

The paper explores the main areas of China's engagement in Sudan during the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between 2005 and 2011. It pays particular attention to the evolution of China's relations with South Sudan. He argues that China's engagement in Sudan during the CPA is essential to understanding Beijing's relations with the two Sudans, and the ongoing combination of political, economic and security challenges it faces today.

Click here to read the paper.

Analysis of situation in Sudan

Alan Goulty, a senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington and former UK ambassador to Sudan and then UK special representative for Sudan, did a Q and A on Feb. 9 arranged by the Carnegie Endowment titled “The New Sudan—Challenges and Opportunities.”

It covers the main issues currently facing Sudan in an unbiased and knowledgeable manner. His five lessons learned during negotiations that achieved the Comprehensive Peace Agreement are especially good.

Report on Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement

In September, IKV Pax Christi based in the Netherlands published an analysis of the state of Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

The author is John Ashworth, acting director, The Dennis Hurley Peace Center in Johannesburg.

The report, which tends to look at the CPA from the perspective of Southern Sudan, can be accessed here (PDF).

Southern Sudanese women evaluate the Comprehensive Peace Agreement

A Sudanese woman, Amel Aldehaib, recently did research on the experiences of Sudanese women following the signing in 2005 of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

The paper argues that the current peace, while it has been successful in transforming class identity, has failed to transform gender identity, allowing violations against women to continue unchecked.

In addition, the paper states that the CPA has failed to play a role in improving the situation for women. It explores the way in which customary law, which is protected by the CPA, continues to perpetuate gender inequality.

Titled "Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement Viewed through the Eyes of the Women of South Sudan," (PDF) the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in South Africa published the paper in 2010.

Sec. Clinton on U.S. policy on Sudan

BBC TV asked for my reaction yesterday to the new U.S. policy on Sudan announced by Secretary Clinton earlier in the day. I replied that it reflected a new reality on the ground in both Darfur and southern Sudan. The situation in Darfur has improved and the death rate has dropped dramatically. The situation concerning implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the war between northern and southern Sudan has become more worrisome. Although the policy proscribes the Obama administration from dealing directly with Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, who is under indictment by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Darfur, I did not believe this would hinder Washington's ability to engage with Sudan, which has designated senior officials to oversee negotiations concerning both Darfur and implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. When asked about the probable reaction of human rights groups to the new policy, I responded that some of them would be displeased but hoped they too would recognize the new reality on the ground.

Extensive study of arms flow in Sudan

The Small Arms Survey released in September 2009 a report titled "Skirting the Law: Sudan's Post-CPA Arms Flows." It was drafted by Mike Lewis and funded by a variety of countries and organizations including the governments of Norway, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and UK. This is the most extensive, recent study on the flow of arms to Sudan's Armed Forces, the Sudan People's Liberation Army and dissident groups in the region. For persons who follow the situation in Darfur and implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between northern and southern Sudan, it is essential reading. You can access it in PDF format here.

NDI report on Sudan

The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs has in recent years done some excellent focus group reports on a variety of topics in East Africa and the Horn. Its most recent report by Traci D. Cook and Dan Vexter dated September 30, 2009, and titled "Imagining the Election: A Look at What Citizens Know and Expect of Sudan's 2010 Vote" contains findings from focus groups with men and women in southern Sudan and the three border areas. I believe those of you following the Comprehensive Peace Agreement will find that this report contains valuable research and conclusions. You can access it here (PDF).

The significance of Sen. Kerry's visit to Sudan - Al Jazeera Interview

I appeared on the Al Jazeera English this evening concerning Senator John Kerry's visit to Sudan. I noted that the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is a close political ally of President Barack Obama and that this visit to Sudan comes on the heals of one by General J. Scott Gration, the president's special envoy to Sudan. The two visits appear to represent a high-level reassessment of U.S. relations with Sudan. The focus of Senator Kerry's visit will probably be on the continuing crisis in Darfur, implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the civil war between northern and southern Sudan, human rights concerns, and Sudan's cooperation with the United States on counterterrorism. Al Jazeera has not posted the video yet. If it does, I will link it here.