I spoke with CHF‘s Munish Persaud to get an idea of what it was like on the ground in southern Sudan. He just returned from his most recent visit to the region on Monday, July 4 (2 days earlier) and provided a perspective of the situation facing the soon to be independent Republic of South Sudan.

We spoke of the Human Development Index (HDI) and South Sudan’s declined status within it after independence when its statistics are no longer shared with those from the north of Sudan. The 2010 HDI value for all of Sudan placed it 154th of 169 countries listed. Once South Sudan is newly listed, it’s expected to drop to near the lowest on the list. We discussed the huge influx of southern Sudanese returning from the north of the country to a lack of infrastructure when they arrived, like no schools for their children, not enough boreholes to provide drinking water, an absence of clinics and hospitals, a precarious food supply and little opportunity for employment. What peace dividends were the southern Sudanese receiving as improvements in their overall lives that can be associated with peacetime benefits?

In part 2 of Amandla’s coverage of South Sudan’s independence, Gwen Schulman speaks to Ugandan human rights advocate and close Sudan-watcher, Sam Olara, on more political challenges facing Africa’s newest country.

(source: Map No. 3707 Rev. 10, UNITED NATIONS, Department of Peacekeeping Operations Cartographic Section, April 2007)

I decided to look through my reference library to select articles and reports that address issues relating to the border that will divide the Republic of Sudan from the new Republic of South Sudan. If you know of any others to add to the collection, please contact me.

Selected Reports:

- (July 1, 2011) Beyond The Pledge: International Engagement After Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement by Aegis Trust, African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies, African Peace Forum, African Research and Resource Forum, Agency for Independent Media, Al-Khatim Adlan Center for Enlightenment and Human Development, Arab Coalition for Darfur, Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Community Empowerment and Progress Organisation (Sudan), Darfur Consortium, Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre, ENOUGH, Genocide Intervention Network / Save Darfur Coalition, Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, Global Witness, ICCO, International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH ), International Refugee Rights Initiative, Kenya Human Rights Commission, Sudan Democracy First Group, Sudanese Network for Democratic Elections, Waging Peace (download pdf 904KB).

- (June 26, 2011) Sudan Report by Sicuro Information (download pdf 6364KB).

- (June 15, 2011) Sudan: The Crisis in Darfur and the Status of the North-South Peace Agreement by Ted Dagne US Congressional Research Service  (download pdf 888KB).

- (June 2011) Peace in Both Sudans by Enough Project, Humanity United, Investors Against Genocide, et al (download pdf 196KB).

- (May 2011) Abyei: From a Shared Past to a Contested Future, Policy and Practice Brief by the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (download pdf 2.6MB).

- (April , 2011) Abyei, Sudan’s West Bank by Enough Project, (download pdf 408KB).

- (Feb 22, 2011) South Sudan’s Referendum: Geopolitical and Geostrategic Implications an ISS Seminar Report (download pdf 120KB).

- (2010) When Boundaries Become Borders: the impact of boundary making in Southern Sudan’s frontier zones by Douglas H. Johnson The Rift Valley Institute  (download pdf 1.8MB).

- (2010) The Kafia Kingi Enclave: people, politics and history in the North – South boundary zone of western Sudan by Edward Thomas, The Rift Valley Institute  (download pdf 3.6MB).

- (Nov 23, 2010) Negotiating Sudan’s North-South Future, Africa Briefing No.76 by International Crisis Group (download pdf 1.8MB).

- (October 2010) Race Against Time: The countdown to the referenda in Southern Sudan and Abyei by Aly Verjee at the Rift Valley Institute (download pdf 1.3MB).

- (September 2010) More Than a Line: Sudan’s North – South Border by Concordia International (download pdf 2.5MB).

- (July 2, 2010) Sudan: Defining the North-South Border, Africa Briefing #75 by International Crisis Group (download pdf 1.3MB).

- (Mar 16, 2010) Preparing for Two Sudans by Maggie Fick at the Enough Project (download pdf 400KB).

- (Aug 2009) Scenarios for Sudan: avoiding political violence through 2011, Special Report 228 by United States Institute of Peace (download pdf 572KB).

Southern Sudanese President Salva Kiir and President Omar al-Bashir have agreed to accept the presence of 4,200 Ethiopian peacekeeping troops, under supervision of the African Union.

Tensions could resurface in Abyei, despite an agreement reached in the Ethiopian capital. © UN Photo / Stuart Price (courtesy: SudanVotes)

The mission’s mandate is to observe the security conditions in Abyei until a referendum to determine the region’s future status is held.

he negotiations in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, were facilitated by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, who currently chairs the African Union’s implementation panel for Sudan (AUP); and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zinawi and Burundi’s former president, Pierre Buyoya, were also on hand for the talks on Abyei, which remains an open wound in a landscape whose disputed borders appear like scars on the map of Sudan. Both north and south claim the oil-rich region belongs on their side of the divide.

Nafie Ali Nafie, President al-Bashir’s assistant, said the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) would withdraw from Abyei when Ethiopian troops arrive, but that the presence of the SAF in the region was a national duty to prevent the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) from expanding into the north.

Philip Aguer

SPLA spokesman Philip Aguer has accused Khartoum of “waging war” on the premise that it can control the region militarily and claim Abyei as its own when the south becomes independent on 9 July.

Under AUP auspices, the two parties would continue discussing the new proposals, with the SPLM possibly offering some amendments. Ms. Clinton has emphasised the retreat of the SAF from Abyei with the presence of neutral forces in the region.

A vote to decide whether Abyei should be part of north or south Sudan was a provision of the 2005 peace agreement. It was supposed to take place in January, at the same time Southern Sudanese voted to secede, but issues over voting rights mired the referendum in controversy, and it was subsequently shelved.

Observers say Khartoum’s intransigence on Abyei leaves many questioning the likelihood of friendly relations with Juba after the south secedes, despite the agreement reached by Kiir and al-Bashir.

Some Sudan watchers fear war is inevitable, pointing to Khartoum’s aim to open a second front in the region to destabilise the world’s newest nation. The northern government’s tendency to favour military solutions over peaceful alternatives, they say, could escalate the conflict between north and south Sudan, which will become two separate nations in less than two weeks.

Legal escalation

The people of Abyei who belong to the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) plan to press charges against Khartoum at the International Criminal Court (ICC), claiming they have documents proving the SAF committed crimes against civilians in the region.

Thousands of families were forced to flee Abyei for nearby villages, where they now live in the open air despite heavy seasonal rains. According to the UN, over 60,000 people have been displaced.

U.S. President Barack Obama had urged the Khartoum government to halt military operations in the region and to stop violence against civilians.

“The leaders of north and south Sudan should live up to their responsibilities,” he said in a message. “The Khartoum government must prevent a further escalation.”

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) expressed concerns after the SAF escalated its air strikes in the region, and reported “growing fear among some displaced people who have found themselves trapped by ongoing violence.”

Strategic retreat

The SPLM believes that Khartoum’s withdrawal of its army from Abyei is a tactical decision aimed at sending forces to Southern Kordofan to support soldiers fighting there.

“Clashes have broken out between SPLA and SAF near Bahr al-Arab when a SAF patrol tried to trespass on a GoSS area,” said SPLM spokesman Philip Aguer.

Tension in the oil-rich region escalated after an attack on a convoy of northern troops who were being escorted out of Abyei by UN soldiers, which was blamed on an SPLM soldier. Khartoum responded by seizing the region and expelling the local administration. Tens of thousands fled after widespread fighting.

Ayman Nour Addin, a political analyst, views the agreement to meet in Addis Ababa  “hypocrisy” after refusing to have any previous dialogue about the Abyei crisis, saying it was only  “so that each party could hold the other responsible” for the situation.

On the other hand, “If there is a real political will and desire,” he said, “such talks may lead to a decisive solution to close this file once and for all.”

(original article at SudanVotes)

Below are a collection of videos reporting on the recent increase in military conflict in the Abyei region.

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Sudan takes control of oil-rich Abyei (Al Jazeera English, May 22, 2011)

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Abyei takeover escalates Sudan tensions (Al Jazeera English, May 24, 2011)

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UN warns Khartoum over Abyei assault (Al Jazeera English, May 25, 2011)

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Abyei residents flee after north takeover (Al Jazeera English, May 26, 2011)

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UN condemns Sudan Abyei takeover (Al Jazeera English, June 3, 2011)

According to the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, 3,755,512 voters registered in Southern Sudan, while 116,857 voters registered in Northern Sudan and another 60,219 voters registered in 8 designated out-of-country locations (Australia, Canada, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, the UK and the USA.)  According to reports like this one, the 60% voter participation threshold was reached on the third day of voting, thereby validating the process.

(Children pose beside a damaged water tanker outside of a school in Abyei, April 2009)

SouthSudanInfo.net’s blogger, David Widgington, spoke with Montréal broadcaster, Gwendolyn Schulman, on the CKUT weekly (Wed. 7-8pm) radio show about African issues, Amandla. In the recording below, Gwen and David discuss the following unresolved issues 1) the border demarcation between north and south, including Abyei; 2) Sharing of oil revenue and infrastructure; 3) the management of the Nile floodwaters; 4) citizenship, right to return and security; 5) repayment of the Sudan national debt.

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PODCAST