Published October 31, 2011 By Kristen Blandford Briefing CCPPR11SD Report available in PDF and Flash formats

Instability and violence continue to define Sudan. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in January 2005, granted a referendum on independence for Southern Sudan. The southern half of the country voted to secede from the north in January 2011 and Southern Sudan became an independent country on 9 July 2011. Initially, it was hoped that this may reduce sectarian violence between the Muslim-dominated North and the generally Christian and animist South, though new clashes are being reported, especially around the disputed town of Abyei. The discovery of oil in southern Sudan in 2005 exacerbated an already complex secession crisis and it remains to be seen how peaceful the planned separation will be. Violence also continues in Darfur, a region in western Sudan, sending refugees into central Sudan and also neighboring states, giving the conflict a regional dimension. Leaders in the North and the South will have to exercise restraint and restrict the use of violence by fringe rebel groups if the fragile peace is to be consolidated.

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