Comprehensive Peace Agreement

Since 1956, when Sudan attained its independence from Britain, it has been in and out of conflicts which have resulted over 3 millions lives in South Sudan and hundreds of thousands in Darfur. The conflicts in Sudan have pitted the central government dominated by Muslims in the north against animists and Christians in South and other marginalized groups as the case in Darfur. The successive governments since independence have ignored the diversity of the country and instead, enforced Islamic laws [the Sharia] over the people of other faiths especially in Southern Sudan of which majority are animist and Christians. Using religion as criteria for development, the government exploited the South which is very rich in resources such as; oil, mineral, wildlife and arable land, to develop the North and have left the South and other marginalized areas undeveloped. It is evident that the subsequent regimes in Khartoum use the region as political tool to exploit and marginalized all the African populations in the Sudan. People in Darfur who are Muslim also have suffered brutally in the hand of the same regimes.

Prior to the war in 1983, the government dishonored the first peace agreement known as the Addis Ababa agreement that ended the first civil war between the North and South in 1972. The dishonoring of the agreement combined with lots of other grievances such as the imposition of Sharia, destruction of environment and displacement of Southern Communities out of their homes so as to exploit the oil that was discovered in 1978. As a result the Southern Sudanese took up arms again to resist an attack against their freedom of worship, means of living, and political participation. From 1983—2005 , the government of Sudan committed undeniable atrocities in South Sudan by indiscriminately bombing civilians, setting villages on fire and abducting and killing the boys and enslaving girls in the north.

While the ignored these atrocities throughout this period. With the awakening by the West to the undeniable degree of atrocities committed by the Sudan government, the Bush government, through the pressure from Christians groups in US, Canada, Australia and Europe, pressured the Sudan government to negotiate and sign an international brokered peace deal with South Sudan under the leadership of the late Dr. John Garang de Mabior in 2005. He later died in in a plane crash barely three weeks after taking part as the Vice-President in the government of national unity.

In this agreement, there are provisions that include; the national census, the election and the referendum in 2011, by which South Sudan will vote whether to remain as a part of Southern Sudan or become a separate state.

As a matter of fact there is only sort pseudo democracy claimed in the Sudan. From day one when the peace accord came into effect, the central government based in the North has on several occasions undermined the agreement. It did that by not implementing its stipulations in good faith. In 2008, the Sudan government carried out a flawed census therefore reducing the population of south and increasing that of the North. Last year, the same government, undermined the deliberation of the laws the will govern the conduct of the referendum.

South Sudanese protesters are often beaten, killed and taken to unknown locals. Last December, the Government responded to protests by attacking the protesters, and arresting, beating and jailing the leaders of South Sudan and other political parties. The government’s abuse of people protesting peacefully was met by condemnation by the US government and the international community in general. With the pressure from the US government and others, the Government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement agreed and passed the referendum laws that called for a turnout of 60% and 51% vote for the South in order for it to be granted independence.

However, the government also recently had also passed the controversial Security Laws that allow security forces to arrest, torture and detain without trial. It did this amidst the background of an election coming in April 2010, so as to intimidate the opposition parties, rig the election and thus it continues its old ways of oppression and marginalization.

We currently have a government in Sudan whose ideologies are clouded by racial and religious chauvinism and has no tolerance for people of other faiths and cultures. The World is also dealing with a regime that has perfected the art of defying international laws and cannot be trusted to honour an agreement. This is a government that only acts when there is serious and continued pressure on it. Therefore the international community cannot relent in putting pressure on the government of Sudan to ensure it honor the agreement in spirit and to the letter and ensure the people of Southern Sudan have the right to determine their destiny through international monitored referendum on January 2011.

From day one of the agreement, the Government has shown its unwillingness to implement the peace accord. It has allegedly sponsored militias to kill civilians in Southern Sudan in the thousands. Last year over three thousand civilians died in clashes that were instigated by the Northern-based government. Tribes are armed against others so as to destabilize South Sudan. The delay in passing of the referendum laws for the last five year is the clear sign that the Government will not allow smooth referenda. Equally important, the recent passing of the so called “Security Laws” is likely to return Sudan to the days before the signing of the peace accord during which the government unlawfully arrested, tortured and jailed those who were at odds with its discriminatory policies. The surest sign was the arrest, beating and detaining of prominent Sudanese politicians including the secretary general of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement - the SPLM.

The international community cannot afford again to turn its back on the persecuted people of Sudan, either in the South or in Darfur.

“Eyes on Sudan” was a multi-denominational organization that hosted a conference this past summer at the University of Winnipeg Canada through its government, citizens, civil society organizations, churches and allies must make an important decision this year whether to be on the side of justice by becoming the voice of the persecuted people of Sudan.

Canada must lead by rallying the international community to focus its attention on the events unfolding in Sudan referendum.

The year 2011 will be a crucial year in Sudan as the interim period of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement comes to an end and the first multiparty election was held in April 2010, followed by the historic referendum in January 2011. The civil war in Sudan has caused untold of suffering for the people South Sudan and other marginalized regions in the East and Western regions of Darfur. The Agreement provided for an election in April 2010 and gave the people of South Sudan, Abyei and Nuba Mountain the right to self-determination through internationally-monitored referenda. However, the government of Sudan has frustrated every effort by dragging its feet in the implementation of the peace accord. Only with the continued pressure and attention of the international community can the people of Sudan be spared the atrocities of war that caused over three millions lives and displaced at least four million more.

Prepared by Reuben Garang