Peace on the rocks: Sudan's Comprehensive Peace Agreement

ENOUGH Project (Washington, DC)

PRESS RELEASE

19 February 2009

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 only 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 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, "Peace on the Rocks," 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."

See ENOUGH’s latest strategy paper for The CPA here ; [ Sudan’s Peace on the Rocks ]