The signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on 9 January 2005 was hailed by some as the dawn of a new era for Sudan. However, Sudan has a number of interlocking conflicts that cannot be fully addressed by a bilateral agreement. The CPA is just one part – if a very significant one – of a piecemeal approach to resolving Sudan's conflicts that has produced separate agreements for Darfur and eastern Sudan. It is unclear if these can fit together as the jigsaw pieces of a comprehensive peace – or what pieces are still missing.
Accord 18 looks back at the process that led to the CPA, identifying what difficult issues were tackled and how, and what decisions were deferred. It asks which constituencies, interests and concerns were excluded from the process, and suggests that future initiatives must be more inclusive and better coordinated if they are to help build a lasting peace.
Produced in partnership with Concordis International and featuring contributors from different sides of Sudan's conflicts, this issue of Accord presents perspectives on the process that led to the CPA, examines the difficulties in reaching an agreement on Darfur and includes accounts of other peacemaking initiatives. It also contains detailed information on peace agreements, profiles of key actors and a chronology.
An Arabic version of the publication is also available (part 1 and part 2). A policy brief with recommendations for policymakers is also available, in English and Arabic.
This issue of Accord was edited by Mark Simmons and Peter Dixon.
