“This paper looks at some of the challenges facing the East Sudan Peace Agreement (ESPA) concluded in Eritrea in October 2006;between the government of Sudan and the Eastern Front (EF). The agreement brought to an end ten years of hostilities in eastern Sudan and averted a widening crisis in the region. With Eritrean mediation, the agreement was concluded in a relatively short period, possibly because the problems in eastern Sudan are not as intractable as those in other parts of the country (such as South Sudan and Darfur). However, the relatively smooth way in which the agreement was reached does not imply any guarantee that such “ease” will also be reflected in the implementation process, and there is ample evidence, even before ESPA reaches its first anniversary, that the agreement is facing a number of internal and external challenges.”
