Sudan is faced with many complex and interlinked challenges – a humanitarian crisis, internal conflict, breaches of human rights and threats to the full and effective implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which brought the country’s decades-long civil war between North and South Sudan to an end in 2005. Read more
The largest country in Africa, Sudan has been plagued by a multifaceted conflict which has killed and displaced millions, and has had a devastating effect on the civilian population.
After decades of fighting, the government in Khartoum and the insurgent southern group, the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005. They agreed to form a government of national unity, and resolved disputes on sensitive issues such as the demarcation of boundaries and the sharing of oil revenues. They also planned a referendum for the Southern Sudanese people to decide whether to remain part of a unified Sudan or become an independent nation.
Further conflict broke out in 2003 in the western region of Darfur over land and resources (between?). Grave crimes against humanity were perpetrated against the civilian population (By?). The UN estimates that xxx people died and over 2 million people were displaced. (Little more detail?)(Bashir's indictment?)
The Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) was signed in 2006 by the central government and one rebel group, Minni Minawi’s faction of the Sudan Liberation Army. (other groups didn't sign - what is the situation now?)
The twin agreements raised high expectations in Sudan, yet they failed to keep the peace. Key provisions of the CPA remain unimplemented. The DPA signatory parties have violated the agreement, and the non-signatories have yet to accept or negotiate its terms. The security situation has seriously deteriorated since.
2010 is a decisive year for Sudan. General elections are due in April, and the long-awaited referendum on Southern independence is due in January 2011.
(yes bridging sentence)
The future of Sudan sits on a knife edge. On one side, peace is within reach. On the other side, full-scale conflict may resume, sparking a new cycle of violence and despair in the country.
The Elders and Sudan
The Elders advocate a comprehensive approach and greater international cooperation to address the numerous challenges that Sudan faces and to prevent a return to conflict.
The Elders visited Sudan in 2007. Since then they have spoken out on the need for peacekeeping efforts to be properly resourced, condemned the expulsion and closure of local and international NGOs, and have written to key international actors stressing the need for more coordinated efforts.
The Elders chose to visit Sudan for their first mission in October 2007, just three months after the group was formed. Four of the Elders – Archbishop Tutu, Lakhdar Brahimi, Jimmy Carter and Graça Machel – visited Sudan to draw the world’s attention to the region’s humanitarian tragedy.
The Elders met political leaders from North and South Sudan, political party representatives, UN agencies, African Union and diplomats.
In Darfur, the Elders met tribal leaders, women’s groups, civil society leaders and internally displaced persons. The Elders called for an end to the atrocities and the displacement of millions of people and greater protection for the victims of ongoing violence.
In July 2008 the Elders joined more than 30 other organisations to call for the urgent deployment of helicopters to peacekeepers in Darfur. The Elders helped to draw worldwide attention to the fact that peacekeepers were lacking in critical resources to protect civilians caught up in the conflict.
In March 2009 the Elders spoke out against the Government of Sudan’s expulsion of 13 international aid agencies and the closure of several Sudanese NGOs. (POSS REF ICC DECISION) The expulsion put at risk the lives of millions of Sudanese who receive critical services and medical and food supplies.
In December 2009 the Elders sent letters to over 40 foreign ministers and numerous heads of international organisations to call for a comprehensive approach and greater international cooperation to address the challenges that Sudan faces.
The Elders underlined the need for immediate action to avert a resurgence of large-scale conflict. An op-ed by Archbishop Tutu and Lakhdar Brahimi echoed the messages from the letter and was published in several media outlets in January 2010.
The Elders continue to follow developments in Sudan closely. They act whenever they can to ensure that the views of the Sudanese people are heard by their government and the international community – to help build a culture of peace, tolerance and dignity for all.
