Amanda Hsiao's blog

No deal on the current oil crisis between Sudan and South Sudan emerged from the highly anticipated meeting today between Presidents Salva Kiir and Omar al-Bashir.  Read More »

Over the weekend, South Sudan’s leaders began the process of shutting down oil operations in their country, following on the threat to do so during negotiations with Sudan in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.  Read More »

The usual hubbub in the lobby of the Sheraton Addis was notably absent on the morning of the fourth day of negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan. In an interview with Enough, lead negotiator Pagan Amum said that the southern government will resume talks on the condition that Khartoum pays for the value of southern oil Khartoum has confiscated, releases vessels carrying shipments of oil from Port Sudan, and guarantees that no further unilateral actions would be taken by the Sudan government going forward.  Read More »

A new round of post-independence talks between Sudan and South Sudan began today in Addis Ababa and are slated to last until next Monday, January 24. Front and center in this round of talks is the issue of Khartoum and Juba’s undetermined oil relationship, and the size of the transit fee—measured in dollars per barrel of oil—that South Sudan should pay to Khartoum for the use of pipelines that cross Sudan’s territory.  Read More »

“We were running, most of the time on foot. Sometimes there is a vehicle, sometimes you have to go straight, sometimes you have to zigzag,” said Zahara, a refugee in Sherkole refugee camp. “It all depends on the security situation.”

Zahara, a Masseleit originally from the city of El Geneina in West Darfur, was describing her second time fleeing a war in Sudan. The first time, she ran from Darfur. The second time, in September, it was from Kurmuk, Blue Nile.  Read More »

“We are civilians,” said Adam, a Blue Nile refugee who had fled his home two months earlier. “We are like children in a family; you don’t make decisions.”

Adam was responding to a question posed by Enough about whether he, Boles, and the other men who had gathered, sensed political tensions in their state prior to the outbreak of conflict that drove them from their homes.  Read More »

Sudan has begun to block the oil exports of newly independent South Sudan in a move aimed at changing negotiating dynamics to its favor. The decision has prevented a total of 1.6 million barrels of oil from being exported to two buyers and comes as talks in Addis Ababa between the two countries’ ruling party representatives are taking place  Read More »

“The signals were there” for war to return to his home state of Blue Nile, said Aziz. He sat on a wooden bench among a group of men, mostly refugees who also fled from fighting in the state. Yusaf spoke to Enough alongside Ibrahim, Ali, and Osman, all of whom came from the town of Baw. Given their statements, all are likely active SPLM-North party members.  Read More »

Miriam was listless as she spoke, sitting on a plastic mat outside of a tukul in the refugee camp. “I can’t even make any sense out of it because it’s too fresh in my mind,” she said, patting a crying young child clamoring for her attention. “My mind is still gripped by this,” Miriam said as she began to tell about the day fighting broke out in the town of Wad el-Mahi in Sudan’s Blue Nile state.  Read More »

“We left our homes with not even a cup like this one,” said Asma, gesturing toward a red plastic cup lying on the dirt ground next to her foot. Sitting on the trunk of a felled tree crowded on all sides by young children in this refugee camp on the border of Sudan, Asma recounted when fighting broke out in her village in Blue Nile state. Her story is part of a series produced from an Enough trip to the Sherkole refugee camp in Ethiopia.  Read More »