Renewing the Pledge: a new report on Sudan and the peace process

Human Rights First, together with 25 other groups, released a report Wednesday to urge that the implentation of the peace process in Sudan stay on track in the lead-up to two key referenda scheduled for this January. The referenda are likely to result in the break-up of Sudan. Some of the key players in the peace process will be meeting in Khartoum tomorrow, and still more on Monday at the African Union Summit in Uganda. The report targets the so-called Guarantors of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)—those countries and multilateral organizations that, when the CPA was signed in 2005, pledged to support its full implementation. It urges these Guarantors to intensify their efforts in the coming months, and gives clear recommendations on how to do so. Implementation of the CPA and these referenda in the South—which is at risk of future mass atrocities should the region not get proper attention—cannot, however, detract from the international efforts still needed secure a sustainable peace in Darfur. Protecting the human rights of all Sudanese people, not only those at the highest risk at one moment or another, will help ensure that the international community’s attention to Sudan leads to long-term peace and stability.