Waging Peace in Sudan (review)

The Sudan, formerly the largest country in Africa, witnessed the longest civil war on the continent. Although it was a nation characterized by diversity in ethnicity, race, culture, religion, and resources (land and water), it never enjoyed peace, stability, or economic development during much of the post-independent period. Out of fifty years of independence, the “Old Sudan” experienced forty-four years of civil war and conflict, and only eleven years of relative peace. The Northern-dominated civilian and military regimes in Khartoum were largely responsible for fomenting conflicts or sowing seeds of discord or hostility in the hearts and minds of the various ethnic groups who inhabited the peripheral or marginalized regions in the Sudan. Thus a schism was created between the core and the periphery. It was in this context that the people of South Sudan took up arms to wage wars of liberation against the ruling clique in Khartoum for several decades.

During the first civil war (1955–1972), both the North and the South exerted efforts to end hostilities through peace negotiations. This was clearly evident during “The Round-Table Conference in March 1965, and ultimately during the Addis Ababa peace talks in 1971–72. South Sudanese rebel leaders, Khartoum government delegates, members of the international community (O.A.U. Secretariat, the World Council of Churches, All Africa Conference of Churches, diplomats from African nations), and civil society, participated directly or indirectly in the peace talks that ended the first civil war. The same peace process was also exhibited during the second civil war (1983–2005) when the SPLM/A held peace talks with the Khartoum government in Kokadam (Ethiopia) in the period 1986–89, in Abuja (Nigeria) in the period 1992–93, and consequently in Machakos, Nakuru, and Naivasha (Kenya) in the period 2002–2005. It was in the third and final peace negotiations that the international community (IGAD, the UN, the AU, USA, Norway, and the United Kingdom) became deeply involved to bring about an amicable end to Sudan’s second civil war.

Foreign scholars, Northern Sudanese scholars, and South Sudanese politicians and intellectuals have written narratives, or presented intellectual discourses about the various peace talks between the Southern rebels and the successive civilian and military regimes in Khartoum. Three of the authors of the peace narratives participated in the peace negotiations. They include Abel Alier, Southern Sudan: Too Many Agreements Dishonored. 2^nd ed. Khartoum: A. Alier, 2003. Steven Wondu and Ann Lesch, Battle for Peace in Sudan: An Analysis of the Abuja Conferences 1992–1993. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, Inc., 2000 and Joseph Lagu, Sudan: Odyssey Through a State: From Ruin to Hope. Omdurman: MOB Center for Sudan Studies, 2006. Hilde F. Johnson’s book, Waging Peace in Sudan is an important addition to the narrative and historiography on peace negotiations in the Sudan. Her book clearly distinguishes itself from the other books in terms of its comprehensiveness, meticulous coverage of events, her unique ability to interact with people from all walks of life, and her command of the English language. Her book is clearly an important reference guide for peace resolutions in the twenty-first century.

Hilde F. Johnson is no stranger to the Sudan. As Norway’s Minister for Overseas Development, she was familiar with the geography and history of the country. This is evident in her description of the people, cultures, religions, regions, and the history of the conflicts and wars in the Sudan. This information is presented in the first few pages of the book, and it helps the reader understand the Sudan in its geographical and historical perspectives. Johnson’s impressive intellect, her eloquent speech, her good sense of humor, and her persuasive skills enabled her to interact with, and fully understand the various personalities with whom she worked throughout the peace negotiations. It is in light of these qualities that Hilde has been able to describe the brief biographies of Dr. John Garang de Mabior (the SPLM/A leader) Mr. Ali...