USCIRF Calls for Obama Administration to take Action To Preserve Fragile North, and South Peace

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) held a news conference this Wednesday to announce its recommendations designed to ensure that the fragile peace between the Khartoum government in the Northern and Southern regions is sustained and strengthened.




WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today urged the Obama Administration to ensure that the peace agreement that ended the civil war between North and South Sudan is sustained.

"The peace plan that has brought such hope to the North-South Sudan conflict is in danger of unraveling, and effective action by the new Administration is needed to ensure that the plan goes forward," said Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer. "America's efforts to prevent violations of religious freedom and other human rights in Sudan, including Darfur, may be jeopardized unless effective measures are taken to preserve the many-layered comprehensive peace agreement.
"The abuses in Sudan have been immense, and the Commission has called for specific U.S. actions to safeguard the many Sudanese whose well-being and even lives are at risk. They will best be protected by ensuring that the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement is sustained," Gaer noted.
During Sudan's last North-South civil war, from 1983 until the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in January 2005, more than two million people were killed and four million driven from their homes, often due to severe violations of religious freedom. The Commission called Sudan the world's most violent abuser of religious freedom, and denounced its genocidal violence. Without continued and sustained U.S. action, the Commission concludes that the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement is unlikely and a return to war remains a threat.
In its newly released policy recommendations, the Commission urges President Obama to appoint a new Presidential Special Envoy to Sudan as soon as possible. The recommendations note that this person should have the stature necessary to emphasize the priority of Sudanese peace and stability to the new Administration and that the Special Envoy should also "enjoy the trust and confidence of the President and Secretary of State."
The Commission calls all relevant parties in Sudan to conduct the national, Southern, and state elections mandated by the CPA, minimizing any delay to what is genuinely required by practical considerations such as the rainy season in the South; insist that these elections be free and fair; that adequate security be provided to enable participation by all eligible voters regardless of religious or ethnic background; and that the results be accepted by both the National Congress Party and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement.
To prevent violence against civilians (including mass atrocities and genocidal acts) that would result from renewed conflict, the Commission recommends that the U.S. provide Southern Sudan with the support it needs to professionalize and strengthen the Southern Sudanese army, which includes International Military Education and Training, as well as the technical assistance and capacity it needs to secure radar, communications and other passive/defensive equipment.
U.S. assistance to infrastructure, basic education, the economy and the judicial system also are critical, and can greatly enhance Southern Sudan's viability in advance of the 2011 referendum on its future status. The referendum is mandated in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Additionally, the Commission recommends the U.S. continue to provide Southern Sudan with the technical assistance.
The Commission points out that a free, secure and prosperous Sudan is important to the security of the region and coincides with both America's values and vital interests. The Commission urges the U.S. to work in coordination with the African Union and the United Nations to that end.
The Commission has undertaken three visits to Sudan in order to assist in developing recommendations for U.S. policy. A USCIRF delegation visited Southern Sudan in October 2008 shortly following a Commission public hearing on Sudan on September 24, 2008.
The Commission also recommends that the U.S. government take the following additional actions:
• Help strengthen reconciliation and the rule of law in Southern Sudan, including the buttressing of Southern Sudan's court system and assisting the Southern Sudan Human Rights Commission;
• Aid in building a successful indigenous economy in Southern Sudan, including a well-functioning banking system, encouragement of private investment and promotion of agricultural development; and
• Enhance the facilities and personnel resources of the U.S. Consulate General in Juba.

Sudan: Policy Recommendations by the
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

U.S. leadership has been crucial to preserve the substantial gains for peace that have been made in Sudan. Central to these gains is the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Given this history of U.S. leadership and the importance to peace of the CPA, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom makes the following recommendations that reflect findings from a public hearing on Sudan held on September 24, 2008 and a visit to Southern Sudan in October 2008.
Although the Darfur conflict has dominated international attention on Sudan, the Commission believes that the CPA provides a model for ending the deliberate marginalization of all of Sudan's regions with non-Arab or non-Muslim populations by an unrepresentative elite drawn from a handful of tribes in the Khartoum region. The success of the CPA thus is crucial to achieve lasting peace in Darfur and prevent potential conflicts in other regions.
Commission recommendations on U.S. Sudan policy that focus on improving religious freedom conditions in Northern Sudan and promoting peace in the western region of Darfur can be found in the Sudan chapter of the Commission's May 2008 Annual Report, available on-line at www.uscirf.gov .

I. Using the position of Special Envoy for Sudan to focus U.S. diplomacy on the successful implementation of the CPA
In order to maintain the level of U.S. engagement during the early part of the new U.S. Administration, the U.S. government should:
As soon as possible, appoint as Presidential Special Envoy for Sudan a nationally prominent individual who enjoys the trust and confidence of the President and the Secretary of State and whose sole responsibility is coordinating U.S. efforts toward the complete and timely implementation of the CPA and securing a just and lasting peace for all of Sudan, including in Darfur;
Ensure that whoever holds the position of Special Envoy has the bureaucratic authority, the appropriate personnel, and other support needed for success;
Build on past efforts by the Special Envoy to enlist international support for peace in Sudan, including by China and other nations with a major stake in access to Sudan's natural resources.

II. Encouraging the parties to successfully implement the CPA
The U.S. government should:
· Insist on the full implementation of the CPA (including power-sharing, wealth-sharing, respect for human rights, democratic accountability through elections, resolution of the Abyei issue, and the 2011 referenda) as the agreed basis for North-South peace and a model for political accommodation of legitimate grievances in other regions such as Darfur;
· Help ensure that the parties conduct the national, Southern, and state elections mandated by the CPA, minimizing any delay to what is genuinely required by practical considerations such as the rainy season in the South; insist that these elections be free and fair, that adequate security be provided to enable participation by all eligible voters regardless of religious or ethnic background, and that the results be accepted by both the National Congress Party and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement;
· Recognize the importance of a peaceful resolution of the Abyei issue to continued North-South peace and the role of the United States in formulating the compromise on Abyei that was incorporated in the CPA; insist upon acceptance by the parties of the findings of the Abyei Boundaries Commission and implementation of the Abyei Roadmap Agreement;
· Make clear that the United States expects the choice of the people of Southern Sudan, as expressed in a free and fair referendum to be held in 2011 in accordance with the CPA, be respected, whether the people of Southern Sudan choose to either remain in Sudan or be independent.

III. Protecting civilians
To prevent violence against civilians (including mass atrocities and genocidal acts) that would result from renewed conflict, the U.S. government should:
· Take the steps necessary to make feasible the establishment of various security guarantees for Southern Sudan in order to deter Khartoum from renewing the North-South civil war or otherwise impose its will by force in violation of the CPA;
· Provide Southern Sudan with the technical assistance and expertise or other capacity it might need to bolster professionalization of the Sudan People's Liberation Army, such as International Military Education and Training (IMET), and secure radar, communications, and other passive, defensive equipment, as appropriate, to improve the South's ability to detect air attacks and therefore reduce civilian casualties;
· Support the Government of Southern Sudan's current, active efforts toward disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of Southern Sudan's many ex-combatants.

IV. Strengthening reconciliation and the rule of law in Southern Sudan
The U.S. government should:
· Utilize existing social institutions, including indigenous religious bodies that have special expertise and a demonstrated commitment in the areas of inter-religious and inter-ethnic reconciliation and conflict prevention, to promote a peaceful civil society;
· Continue and strengthen existing programs through the State Department's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs to improve the professional competence and human rights performance of Southern Sudan's police and security forces;
· Expand U.S. assistance to the court system in Southern Sudan, which is in dire need of training, reference materials, improved court security, and facilities; encourage greater involvement by the U.S. private sector, including professional associations, law schools, and corporations, in this effort;
· Provide scholarships to promising students to attend law school in the United States under the requirement that they return home at the completion of their training to build a modern legal system in Southern Sudan, including a law school with an advanced curriculum built upon democratic principles, but targeted to the needs of the area;
· Assist the Southern Sudan Human Rights Commission in developing its capacity to monitor and investigate human rights abuses and to promote respect for internationally recognized human rights, including freedom of religion or belief.

V. Building a successful indigenous economy in Southern Sudan

The U.S. government should:
· Support the creation of an effective banking system in Southern Sudan, recognizing that such a system is crucial for the South's economic development and political stability;
· Encourage U.S. private investment in Southern Sudan while ensuring that U.S. sanctions on Sudan are targeted more effectively in support of U.S. diplomatic efforts to ensure a just and lasting peace in all of Sudan;
· Expand U.S. educational assistance, including building the capacity of the University of Juba, to enhance Southern Sudanese expertise in agriculture, business, law, and other areas to support development efforts;
· Promote agricultural development in Southern Sudan with the goal of promoting greater food security;
· Expand provision of U.S. assistance going through indigenous civil-society, private-sector groups and provide appropriate technical assistance to enable such groups to prepare project proposals for U.S. grants;
· Explore providing the Sudan People's Liberation Army with needed technical expertise and capacity, such as in road construction and other public works, to assist in creating an infrastructure that bolsters economic development;
· While recognizing the urgent need for continued U.S. assistance for returning refugees and internally displaced persons, begin shifting from humanitarian to development assistance in order to enhance the economic viability and political stability of Southern Sudan in anticipation of the 2011 referendum on the South's political future.

VI. Expanding U.S. diplomacy capacity in Southern Sudan
The U.S. government should:
· Enhance the facilities and personnel resources of the U.S. Consulate General in Juba in order to support increased U.S. engagement and programming in Southern Sudan.