FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Matt Brown, Associate Director of Communications, Enough Project, [email protected], Mobile: +1-202-468-2925
WASHINGTON – On the verge of southern Sudan’s historic referendum, the Obama administration has thrown its full diplomatic weight behind negotiations to secure the final implementation of Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement and prevent the resumption of all-out war. At this moment, a new Enough Project report by guest author and former State Department official Jeff Millington looks to the past for lessons on securing a peaceful future for all Sudanese.
The report, “Lessons from the Past: Reflections on U.S. Efforts to Bring Peace to Sudan,” provides a personal account of Millington’s involvement in the negotiations that resulted in the 2005 peace agreement between North and South, and identifies key determinants of successful peacemaking.
“[T]he most important lesson to come out of our past engagement on Sudan is that the United States must be prepared to stay the course, that we cannot let other pressing issues divert our focus, and that we must be prepared for the long haul,” writes Millington. “This worked before and can work again, if we are prepared to commit.”
Millington draws upon his experience in key State Department positions during the Sudanese peace negotiations from the late 1990s to 2005. He served in a variety of roles during that period including director of the Office of East African Affairs and Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum.
“Whether by design or happenstance, the U.S. team did a lot of things right on Sudan and peace was the result,” he writes. “Unfortunately, many of the practices which characterized our efforts were not carried on after the signing of the CPA, and the impact and effectiveness of U.S. Sudan policies in the following years suffered as a result.”
Read the full report: “Lessons from the Past: Reflections on U.S. Efforts to Bring Peace to Sudan.”
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Enough is a project of the Center for American Progress to end genocide and crimes against humanity. Founded in 2007, the Enough Project focuses on crises in Sudan, eastern Congo, and areas of Africa affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army. Enough’s strategy papers and briefings provide sharp field analysis and targeted policy recommendations based on a “3P” crisis response strategy: promoting durable peace, providing civilian protection, and punishing perpetrators of atrocities. Enough works with concerned citizens, advocates, and policy makers to prevent, mitigate, and resolve these crises. For more information, please visit www.enoughproject.org.