From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Fri Jul 16 2010 - 17:20:46 EDT
South Sudan Lacks Effective Peace, Justice and Development Efforts
Joe DeCapua 16 July 2010
"If things go on as they are...it's hard to see how there will not be
serious armed conflict within southern Sudan possibly reaching the level of
a civil war in the south."
A new report says many "supposed solutions" to violence in southern Sudan
are doing little to deal with the causes of the violence.
The London School of Economics and Political Science report -
<http://www2.lse.ac.uk/businessAndConsultancy/LSEConsulting/recentReports.as
px#Southern_Sudan> Sudan: At Odds with Itself - says government and ngo
attempts to bring peace and stability are not providing a "sustainable
system of justice and economic development."
Professor Tim Allen and postgraduate researcher Mareike Schomerus led teams
into remote areas of southern Sudan to gather public opinion at the
grassroots level.
'It was obvious as soon as we started working on Sudan that there was a
greater interest in technical aspects of the election and then the upcoming
referendum. A lot of emphasis on what the role of Khartoum - the northern
government - might be in southern Sudan." he says.
In 2011, southern Sudanese will vote on whether to become an independent
nation and break away from the north.
Allen adds, there was "much less emphasis on what's actually happening in
southern Sudan.since the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement." The
CPA, signed in 2005, ended a long civil war that claimed millions of lives
and displaced many others.
What they had to say
The teams asked residents in remote areas a wide variety of questions,
including whether they planned to vote for independence from the north.
"We found that the vast majority said that they were going to, though we
found certain areas where there were quite a lot of people - even the
majority in some locations - who said that they would vote for unity," he
says.
Those residents feared they would be "dominated by certain groups and . lose
out if they're cut off from the north."
A surprise
"Contrary to what was being asserted by so many people," he says, "when we
looked in detail at ongoing conflicts on the ground they tended to have
local dynamics." -- dynamics that began after the signing of the CPA.
Allen says, "Groups have moved into new areas. They're trying to find ways
of securing control over their areas. They're often excluding other groups.
There are real concerns in some places about being dominated, for example,
by the Dinka or in Eastern Equatoria (Province) by the Toposa."
Since the CPA was signed, many southern Sudanese have not lived in peace.
"In some places," he says, "There have been considerable levels of violence.
I'm not talking just about the areas along the border with the north, but
deep in southern Sudan. There is a real problem with security. Now, will
those escalate into something else?"
Desperate for peace
"It's worth bearing in mind the war between the north and south, inside the
south, was largely fought by militias. Both sides deployed militia groups
against each other. Now, militia groups of various kinds are continuing to
be active in southern Sudan. And if there is to be a further problem with
the north or if certain politicians want a power base, they will exploit
similar thoughts of local issues," he says.
The report says, "Peace needs to be made concrete through economic and
infrastructural development." Many southern Sudanese say they've seen no
peace dividends from the CPA.
Professor Allen says, "In many parts of southern Sudan, we found people
saying that since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement there has been almost a
withdrawal of international assistance. Now, this seemed very surprising
when you see the concentration of aid agencies running around in Juba. But
you go out of the towns and people say.'during the war we received food., we
received all sorts of relief.' That's all gone now."
He adds, "People are desperate for education and all sorts of other
services. And currently, there is no basis for providing them in most
areas. It's no good thinking about the referendum.after which all of
southern Sudan's problems will go away."
And he warns if no action is taken soon, things could get much worse in the
south.
"At the moment, if things go on as they are, even without any involvement
from northern Sudan, it's hard to see how there will not be serious armed
conflict within southern Sudan possibly reaching the level of a civil war in
the south," he says.
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