Rescuing the Peace in Southern Sudan: Joint NGO briefing paper
A lethal cocktail of rising violence, chronic poverty and political tensions in Southern Sudan has left the peace deal on the brink of collapse. The international community must act now to save the peace agreement that ended one of Africa’s longest wars.
- Published
- January 2010
Southern Sudan is one of the least-developed regions in the world.
Its poverty, combined with limited government and aid agency capacity to respond to emergencies and deliver development, exacerbates the potential for renewed conflict.
As the country marks the fifth anniversary of the signing of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended a devastating civil war, southern Sudan has seen a major upsurge in violence.
In 2009, some 2,500 people were killed and 350,000 fled their homes.
With landmark elections and a referendum on the horizon, the peace deal is fragile and the violence likely to escalate even further unless there is urgent international engagement.
The next 12 months will be critical for the future of Sudan.
This joint NGO paper is a wake-up call for the international community to an increasingly alarming situation.
The paper explores:
- the rising insecurity in Southern Sudan
- urgently needed measures to protect civilians from violence
- the critical humanitarian situation and steps to strengthen emergency relief
- the failure to deliver development, necessitating accelerated delivery of essential services to a disillusioned population and capacity building support to all levels of the Government of Southern Sudan
Download Rescuing the Peace in Southern Sudan (PDF 601KB)
Related reading
- Comprehensive Peace? Causes and consequences of underdevelopment and instability in eastern Sudan
- Last in Line, Last in School 2009: Donor trends in meeting education needs in countries affected by conflict and emergencies
- DFID: Aid, education and conflict-affected countries
