January 9, 2008 is the third anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement. This peace agreement succeeded in bringing a halt to hostilities after more than two decades of civil war between south Sudanese rebels and the northern government in Khartoum.
Over the last three years, some political and military benchmarks from this agreement have been met while others are still lagging behind. This calls to mind the classic metaphor of the glass half-full or half empty, depending on the level of thirst of the incipient drinker. Examples of success include a constitution for the Government of National Unity, a defined mechanism for sharing oil revenues, and regained security in many areas of south Sudan. However, delays in defining borders of strategic areas, implementing the census process, and redeploying Sudanese Army units out of oil producing areas, cast doubts about the mutual trust and full commitment of the parties to the peace process.
I will soon be traveling to southern Sudan for the second time in six months. Last June I met several Sudanese people who had been displaced for years, either in southern Darfur, Khartoum, or in neighboring countries. Almost all of them referred to the CPA as the moment that triggered them to return home. All of them expressed hope and determination to start their new lives, rebuild houses, cultivate the land, graze animals, or start small businesses. All of them showed amazing initiative, despite the fact that assistance was limited and the challenges were enormous. They are expecting commitment from their leaders and a sense of responsibility in order to make the CPA reality.
The south of Sudan lacks physical infrastructure; there are not enough water points and primary health care facilities, schools are in great need, particularly secondary and professional training ones. Hundreds of thousands of Sudanese have returned from exile and the meager basic services, insufficient for the resident population, are under significant stress and require quick and massive expansion. The Sudanese authorities and those from the international community committed to helping the south, including the US government, European countries and the World Bank, have to do their best to match the initiative of the average Sudanese as they find sustainable livelihoods and regain dignity. The reintegration of the returnees and the recovery of the communities should be a major priority of governments’ intervention and available resources invested accordingly.
