Peace Update in Sudan

Bill McKenna © 2012

The news is quite good from Africa today.  Sudan and South Sudan are resuming peace talks tomorrow in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in accordance with UN Resolution 2046.  The African Union is mediating the talks, and former South African president Thabo Mbeki is the lead mediator.  Mbeki’s tenure as president in South Africa is marred with some controversy, but his international experience and high profile make him an excellent choice for this role.  The issues to be discussed under resolution 2046 are all negotiable, and there is no reason that a comprehensive settlement of grievances cannot be completed this summer

Sadly, there will be remaining problems after the crisis is over.  The most intractable between the nations is distrust.  For peace to take hold there must be a mechanism for building acceptance, then trust between the two governments.  Remembering that this task is to take place amidst the historic backdrop of terrible civil wars, the challenge is formidable.  Nonetheless, both countries will be participating in a business structure which will set a fee for South Sudan transshipments of oil to the Red Sea.  Ideally the fee structure will be mutually fair and profitable to everyone.  This arrangement will both require trust, and, ultimately, build trust.

The second long term challenge to peace is the internal warfare that both nations are struggling with.  Whether or not the one country is aiding rebellions in the other is almost moot.  Given the insecurity of the border, it is almost certain that some of Sudan’s rebels are coming from South Sudan, and vice versa.  The important concept is to build a stable peace where people can live and thrive.  The SPLM was the rebel group that successfully broke the south away from the north, and is essentially the current government of South Sudan.  The fact that there is now an SPLM-North fighting in the Sudanese border provinces of South Kordofan and Blue Nile is understandable, as the international boundary was drawn behind them.  Nonetheless, the border, once settled must be respected, and it is unrealistic to believe that Sudan will not defend its right to that vast area.  At the same time, the SPLM-N should, peacefully, request that Sudan acknowledge these provinces as culturally sub-Saharan, and Christian, and have the right to request appropriate human rights as a disparate culture within a primarily Islamic, Saharan state.  The South Sudan infighting is a bit more complex, as tensions run along tribal lines.  The largest tribe, which is also the predominant tribe of the government, is the Dinka.  The Dinka people need to develop a multi-tribal power sharing system to bring peace and all of its benefits, to everyone.  At this writing there are reports of minority tribe civilians being killed in Jonglei province, near the Ethiopian border,  As the larger peace process moves forward, it is important that internal strife is minimized,  and that the surplus of weapons in the area due to years of civil war are reduced.

Peace will result if negotiations supersede violence, and the smaller issues are not pushed down the road.  Peace should yield economic progress as well, and generations of people who found that survival often required a rifle, will now learn that a good life will require development and education.

Finally what about you and I, learning about Sudan’s troubles mostly in developed western countries?  I think there are several things we are responsible for: 

·         We need to be educated about the current state of the world and what is being done to resolve conflict.  The average US ignorance to international news is unacceptable, and we need to improve our literacy in world affairs.

·         We need to follow the progress of Resolution 2046, and prepare for what may be in store for the Sudans if it fails, or, hopefully, succeeds.

·         We ought to keep our noses out of the business.  Contrary to some attitudes, we are not the world’s policeman, and past actions have left much of the west in disrepute.  Trust them to build their own future, unless the lives and human rights of the people there are in danger by our inaction.

·         Finally, it is my understanding that South Sudan football (i.e. soccer) was accepted by the international federation (FIFA) this week.  Cheer them on a bit.  A little bit of non-military pride will go a long way.