The Sudanese comprehensive peace agreement: how could the comprehensive peace agreement become the basis for either unity or disintegration of the Sudan?

This study argues that the Sudanese Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) could result in the disintegration of Sudan. There are four main factors which increase the likelihood of such an outcome. Firstly, the hatred and distrust between the North and South of Sudan have deepened because successive Northern Sudanese regimes have not honoured previous agreements. Among the Southern Sudanese, in particular, there is increased support for secession. Secondly, the agreement is not being implemented fully, in both spirit and letter, and it could therefore collapse. Thirdly, the evident lack o f good will on the part of the old regime (the National Congress Party) and its desire to establish an Islamic state with Shari'ah law in Northern Sudan are incompatible with national unity. Fourthly, the peace agreement is undermined by the controversial provision that at the end of the six-year transitional period, the South will vote in a referendum on whether it wishes to secede or to be part of a united Sudan. This principle of self-determination for the South, for which the South has fought for decades, makes the peace agreement's acclaimed aim of national unity an illusory goal. Nonetheless, the unity of the Sudan must not be ruled out entirely. It could be achieved if unity was made suitably 'attractive' to both parties and the separation of state from religion succeeded. To achieve national unity, this study proposes a consociational, power-sharing democracy consisting of a grand coalition, a mutual veto, proportional representation and regional autonomy. It is argued that this model of government is particularly suited to address the challenges of post-conflict Sudan. Decentralising decision-making through regional autonomy could be a particularly useful way of building peace in post-conflict Sudan if it remains a united country.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

London Metropolitan University

Year dc:date.issued

2008

Author dc:creator

• Abulemoi, Joseph O.

• 960 History of Africa

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

N/A

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.londonmet.ac.uk:8334