Back to War in Sudan: Flawed Peace Agreement, Failed Political Will

Abstract

Sudan’s postindependence history has been marked by the longest civil war in Africa, followed by the separation of the southern part of the country in 2011. Today Sudan is in political disarray, with an uncertain future. It remains a highly contested and dysfunctional state in “perpetual turbulence” (Lesch 1998; Elnur 2009; de Waal 2007). Successive governments have followed a counterproductive policy of attempting to force national unity through coerced uniformity instead of cherishing the nation’s diversity; this has paralyzed nation building and national integration, preventing the emergence of a viable political entity (’Abd al-Rahim 1970; Deng 1973, 1995; Beshir 1984; Khalid 2003; Komey 2010d). The first and second civil wars of 1955–1972 and 1983–2005, the separation of South Sudan in 2011, and the current violent conflicts in Darfur, the Nuba Mountains, and southern Blue Nile attest to the continuing turmoil.