Waging Peace: The Republic of Sudan and The Republic of South Sudan

Conflict Resolution

The Carter Center's Conflict Resolution Program has worked for more than a decade to mediate conflict in Sudan and to improve the climate for a just and lasting peace agreement to end the longest ongoing conflict in Africa.

The reasons for the conflict have been highly complicated, including ethnic and regional power struggles, religious differences, disputes over oil production and revenues, and issues of governance, leaving most Southerners feeling deeply marginalized and many in other regions feeling similarly unrepresented. These problems were compounded by a record of broken agreements and military government, leaving Sudan deeply divided and the Sudanese people mistrustful and profoundly scarred by the trauma of war.

For many years, the most visible conflict was between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army, the major Southern rebel faction, and the National Islamic Front government of President Omar al Bashir. While power and wealth-sharing were at the core of the conflict, seemingly intractable disagreements over the proper role of religion in Sudan and the right to self-determination for the South often defined the war.

President Carter's first direct mediation effort in Sudan was between the government and the SPLM/A in Nairobi in 1989. He has remained in close personal contact with the leadership of the parties and other key players and has sought to narrow differences and promote peace at various times. In 1995, he was able to secure a cease-fire from Sudan President Bashir and then SPLM/A leader Dr. John Garang to allow for the treatment of Guinea worm and other diseases, to pilot the effort against river blindness, and to provide an opportunity for children to be immunized against polio and other illnesses. This cease-fire lasted almost six months, the longest such humanitarian cease-fire ever achieved.

Read the article: Historic Cease-fire Enables Health Workers To Attack Guinea Worm and Other Diseases in Sudan >

In 2002, however, regional and international parties – including the United States – made a significant effort to assist the parties toward developing a peace agreement. In March of that year, President Carter visited Khartoum in the North and Rumbek in Southern Sudan, meeting with President Bashir and SPLM/A leaders. Later that month, President Carter hosted Dr. Garang at the Center in Atlanta for further talks.

These regional and international efforts made significant progress, including agreement for a nationwide cessation of hostilities and apparent breakthrough agreements on religion and self-determination. This progress then led to a Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed January 2005 by the government of Sudan and the SPLM/A in Naivasha, Kenya. The Conflict Resolution Program supported the Naivasha negotiation process by providing prenegotiation training to both the government of Sudan and the SPLM/A and intervening in other ways to support the Intergovernmental Authority on Development-led mediation effort.

Even as peace was being achieved between the government of Sudan and the SPLM/A, conflict in the western region of Darfur escalated, attracting international attention.