Internal ethnic strife, a deep-rooted but often overlooked challenge facing newly independent South Sudan, has recently emerged as a threat to the country’s stability. Last month, the South Sudanese army and United Nations reinforcements were sent to the town of Pibor in Jonglei state to prevent attacks by members of the Lou Nuer ethnic group against the Murle clan. In the past few months, over a thousand people have died and tens of thousands have been displaced in clashes that started last summer, as cattle raids prompted violence that quickly …
Since South Sudan gained independence last January, the world’s newest country has many challenges to face. The government in Juba must quickly and efficiently address some of the most basic issues that many in the West take for granted, such as roads, clean water, and electricity. In short, it must deliver on the hopes promised by independence. While the international community has lavished attention on South Sudan, it has largely ignored a set of brewing internal crises in the north. Sudan’s president, Omar al-Bashir, has suffered a loss of influence …
This morning Republicans will have their last chance to get answers about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau before it opens on July 21. The brains behind the operation, Elizabeth Warren, is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee at 9:30 a.m. ET. Today also marks the second day of the Roger Clemens trial, which is occurring at a federal courthouse in Washington. The former pitcher is charged with perjury, obstructing Congress and making false statements when three years ago he told congressional investigators and testified in …
In this week’s Heritage in Focus, Research Associate Morgan Roach discusses Southern Sudan’s independence on July 9th. Click here to listen. Since Sudan’s independence, the North and South have been engaged in conflict. After a decades-long civil war, and with the help of the international community, peace was brokered in 2005 . Abyei, an area bordering North and South Sudan, is still a major territorial dispute. Neither side will give up claim to the region. As violence and instability worsens, Abyei threatens a return to civil war. So what does …
In a matter of weeks, the Republic of South Sudan is scheduled to gain full independence. This step is the culmination of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Sudanese government in Khartoum and the southern Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) that is intended to permanently resolve the decades-long civil war that led to an estimated 2 million deaths. However, this peace and independence process is threatened by continued violence in the disputed border area of Abyei (the South Kordofan region). Abyei has long been one of the most …
The Obama Administration has pursued an incentive plan for Sudanese President Omar al Bashir to try and secure his cooperation and support for the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between Sudan and the nascent independent state of Southern Sudan. One of the Obama Administration’s preliminary offers was the removal of Sudan from the state sponsors of terrorism list. Aside from rewarding Bashir (accused by the U.S. of genocide in Darfur) for promises of support that may prove ephemeral and are certainly unenforceable, it would also willfully ignore the possibility that Sudan …
The ballots have been tallied and the results are in: Southern Sudanese voted overwhelmingly for independence from the government in Khartoum. With a total turnout of 97 percent and 99 percent of voters casing their ballot in favor of secession, southern Sudan is on its way to becoming the world’s newest country. Yesterday, President Obama congratulated the southern Sudanese on “a successful and inspiring” referendum. The symbolism of the event is remarkable: After decades of war and marginalization by the north, southern Sudanese have finally achieved self-determination. Furthermore, the referendum …
The votes from last week’s mostly peaceful referendum are now being counted. Early results indicate that Sudan—Africa’s largest country—will soon split in two. Some countries (such as Iran) have reluctantly accepted the likely outcome, while simultaneously criticizing the idea of self-determination. At the same time, some American commentators such as Daniel Larison have criticized America’s role in supporting southern Sudan’s independence as “folly”. Although the international legal concept of national self-determination is a rather recent one (emerging as an international doctrine after WWII in order to facilitate decolonization), the deeper …
The referendum for southern Sudan’s independence, which began on January 9, reached the necessary 60% participation a few days ago. Official results will not be released for a couple of weeks, but an overwhelming “yes” vote is a safe assumption. The referendum is a momentous step; as the capstone to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement ending the two-decade civil war, it will create the world’s newest country. While southern Sudanese are celebrating their almost certain independence, the challenges ahead are daunting. Southern Sudan will be one of the most poorly …
“You know, my people told me I should never meet with you,” Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir told Richard Williamson, former U.S. special envoy to Sudan, during the Bush Administration. Clearly, it’s no easy task conducting diplomatic relations with Khartoum’s government. Yet two days from the referendum that will likely split north and south, the international community has flocked to Sudan, working to establish security and stability and preparing for the aftermath This is where the hard work begins. The south possesses the near insurmountable task of building a new state. …
