After Sudan – Africa’s geographically largest country – emerged from the continent’s longest civil war in 2005 with the signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) by the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), it found itself facing a historic transition. The CPA outlined a process of “democratic transformation” for Sudan. In the event that the idea of a
united Sudan could not be made generally attractive, the CPA stipulated that in January 2011, Southern Sudanese should be able to vote on the South’s self-determination and choose whether they should remain in, or secede from, a united Sudan. At the same time, Ngok Dinka inhabitants of the Sudanese province of Abyei should also vote on their future in January 2011. With the implementation of the CPA reaching a critical stage, the CCR policy advisory group seminar analysed
the dynamic interconnections between the country’s multiple interlocking conflicts and sought to identify ways in which African and extra-regional actors could help Sudan to manage the challenges of the forthcoming referenda and achieve a stable future.
