Sudanis Comprehensive Peace Agreement

Executive summary and recommendations

More than a year after it was signed, SudanÕs Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) is showing signs of strain. While the agreement ended one of AfricaÕs longest and bloodiest civil wars, it was an agreement between only two parties, the Sudan PeopleÕs Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), and continues to lack broader support throughout the country, particularly in the North. The current equation for peace in Sudan is a worrying one: the NCP has the capacity to implement but lacks the political will, whereas the SPLM has the commitment but is weak and disorganised. There is a real risk of renewed conflict down the road unless the NCP begins to implement the CPA in good faith, and the SPLM becomes a stronger and more effective implementing partner. The international community, which has largely abandoned the political engagement and commitment that was so crucial to achieving the peace agreement in the first place, must forcefully reengage with the process to ensure the agreementÕs successful implementation.