Sudan’s Peace Settlement: Progress and Perils
Sponsored by
The Institute for National Strategic Studies
and
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
at
Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, DC
September 11, 2006
Updated: September 25, 2006
Background
On January 9, 2005, amidst much international acclaim, the Government of Sudan and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement/Army signed the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in Nairobi, Kenya. This achievement marked the culmination of painstaking negotiations involving the Khartoum government, southern rebel groups, and outside mediators to bring closure to more than two decades of civil war. Still, less than two years after its adoption, international attention has turned away from the north-south peace agreement. The CPA may be faltering, and the chances for the full realization of its provisions could be in doubt. While the country has experienced a number of positive developments in the implementation of the agreement, it has also endured some serious setbacks and challenges, to include the death of former Vice President John Garang, increasing intra-factional divisions, and dwindling international focus on the requirements of the CPA due to the ongoing crisis in the Darfur region.
In 2005, President George W. Bush and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell characterized the violence in the western region of Darfur as genocide. Since that time, the American public and the Bush administration have focused increasing attention and resources on that crisis. While addressing the Darfur crisis is essential to the overall stability of the country and region, that crisis has over-shadowed the pressing need for the continued engagement required to successfully implement the provisions of the CPA.
In light of the above, an increased level of attention and a renewed commitment on the part of all parties to the implementation the CPA is necessary to engender further progress and maximize the prospects of success. To these ends, the National Defense University in partnership with the Woodrow Wilson Center will convene a one-day symposium to assess the progress and challenges to the CPA's implementation, evaluate the effectiveness of its provisions to date, and discuss the ways and means by which the international community can contribute to ensuring full and successful implementation of the CPA.
Conference Objectives
Agenda
0715-0830 Registration/Check-in
0745-0820 Optional Tours of NDU Library Special Collections, Marshall Hall and Roosevelt Hall
0830-0850 Welcoming Remarks
Ambassador Mark Bellamy, Senior Vice President, National Defense University
Dr. Michael H. Van Dusen, Deputy Director, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
0850-0935 Keynote Address
“An Overview of the CPA: How Was It Achieved; What Did We Expect?”
Gen. Lazaro Sumbeiywo, Kenyan Army - Ret, Chief Peace Talks Negotiator
0950-1145 Morning Panel: Assessing the CPA’s Progress
Moderator:
Dr. Marina S. Ottaway, Senior Associate,
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
"Wealth Sharing in Southern Sudan: Oil, Energy & Political Implications"
"Abyei Boundary Commission: Status of Disputed Provinces Outside the 1956 boundary on the Blue Nile"
"Military Integration & Security Issues"
Mr. Michael J. Bittrick, Deputy Director, Security Affairs, Office of Regional and Security Affairs, Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. State Department
"Power Sharing and Development of Government Institutions in the South"
Dr. Francis Deng, Director of the Center for Displacement Studies, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, The John Hopkins University
1150-1235 Keynote Presentation
"More than North-South: The CPA and the Greater Conflict(s) in the Sudan"
Ambassador Legwaila Joseph Legwaila, Under-Secretary-General and Special Advisor on Africa, Office of the Special Advisor on Africa, United Nations
1240-1345 Luncheon - Marshall Hall, Room 155
1345-1530 Afternoon Panel: Charting a Way Ahead
Moderator:
Mr.
Charles R. Snyder, former Acting
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, U.S. State Department
"Impact of Darfur on the Implementation of the North-South Agreements"
Dr. John Prendergast, Senior Advisor, International Crisis Group
"Enhancing the Effectiveness of the CPA"
Ambassador Alan Goulty, former UK Special Respresentative for Sudan
"The International Community and the CPA: Refocusing Attention and Renewing Commitment"
Dr. Karin von Hippel, Co-Director of the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Project, Center for Strategic and International Studies
1545-1615 Closing Speech
"U.S. Policy in the Sudan: Strategic Interest and a Road Map for Future Progress:
Honorable Jendayi Frazer, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, U.S. State Department