About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (January 17, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govxyk0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Cogesoa Reeac Servic Updated January 17, 2019 Sudan When unified (1956-2011), Sudan was Africa's largest country by area, and the site of its longest-running civil war. In 2011, after decades of fighting broadly described as a conflict between the predominately Muslim Arab north and African south, Sudan split in two. The split did not resolve other conflicts, in Darfur, Southern Kordofan, and Blue Nile. Overlapping struggles between security forces and armed groups, nomadic and farming communities, and among ethnic groups have caused extensive displacement and suffering. Across Sudan, economic pressures, social tensions, and dissent present challenges for the Islamist government of President Omar al Bashir, who came to power in a 1989 coup. Nationwide anti-government protests in early 2019 suggest growing pressure for regime change. South Sudan's secession was a major financial blow to Sudan, which lost 75% of its oil production, two-thirds of export earnings, and over half its fiscal revenues. A large security sector budget, mismanagement, and corruption all compound Sudan's economic troubles, which spur periodic protests and domestic criticism of the government. The International Monetary Fund assesses that U.S. economic sanctions, imposed in 1997, also undermined economic stability and growth. Major U.S. enforcement actions for sanctions violations in 2014-2015 significantly reduced Sudan's access to U.S. dollars and further impeded its access to international financial markets and institutions. Sudan has long sought relief from U.S. sanctions, and the outgoing Obama Administration announced a move to ease them in January 2017, after determining that Sudan had taken positive steps over a six-month period in five key areas: enhancing counterterrorism cooperation; addressing the threat of a regional armed group, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA); ceasing negative interference in South Sudan; ceasing hostilities in conflict zones; and improving humanitarian access. President Trump permanently revoked the economic sanctions in October 2017. Some U.S. restrictions remain, including on debt relief and based on a state sponsor of terrorism designation-the latter is now the focus of Phase II of a bilateral engagement framework. Background Despite Sudan's diversity, northern-led regimes espousing Islamist ideals have dominated government since independence, often pressing distant provinces to conform to the center, Khartoum, rather than accommodating local customs and institutions. Instead of forging a national identity, these policies exacerbated Sudan's racial, cultural, and religious differences. Attempts to Arabize and Islamize the countryside were resisted by southerners and other marginalized groups and sparked insurgencies in the south. Groups in other regions rose up periodically, citing local grievances. Some in the central states of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile joined the southern rebellion, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). Figure I. Sudan Key Facts Source: Fact information from CIA World Factbook and IMF, 2018. The north-south wars took a heavy toll on both sides. In 2005, the government and the SPLM signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which enshrined the south's right to self-determination after a six-year interim period, during which the SPLM and the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) formed a unity government. Southern Sudanese voted overwhelmingly in January 2011 to secede and achieved independence in July of that year. The CPA failed to resolve several contentious issues, and talks have continued on border disputes and related security issues, debts, and once-shared resources, such as oil. The proximity of Sudanese rebel activity to the border complicated its demilitarization after separation, as did the unresolved status of contested areas, notably Abyei, which was granted special semi-autonomous status in the CPA. An official referendum for Abyei residents on whether to retain their special status in Sudan or join South Sudan was slated for 2011 but has been indefinitely delayed. The deployment of the U.N. Interim Force for Abyei (UNISFA) defused a violent stand-off in 2011, but local tensions persist and still have the potential to spur a larger conflict. Relations between Sudan and South Sudan improved in 2018. A long-delayed joint border monitoring mission is now semi-operational, though there has been little progress on border demarcation. Sudan surprised many by mediating a new peace deal between warring parties in South Sudan mid-year. If the deal holds it would allow a resumption of oil production in fields shut by South Sudan's civil war, generating needed revenue for both Khartoum and Juba. Ongoing Conflicts The CPA did not resolve Sudan's longstanding center- periphery tensions. Khartoum has responded to the political demands of restive regions more often with force than with substantive reform and has financed local militias to help counter insurgencies. The militias have been linked to indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilians. Sudan has conducted aerial attacks in Darfur in violation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1591 (2005).

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most