Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement: Bush’s Legacy in Africa

Morgan Lorraine Roach / January 04, 2011

Contributing to the peace and development of Africa, Sudan in particular, was a major priority for the Bush Administration and now looms as the single largest African issue on the Obama White House’s agenda. On January 9, 2011, the final and most significant step of the peace agreement will occur when an estimated 4 million southern Sudanese will vote to decide whether to remain part of a unified Sudan or establish a new, independent country.

With one of the most diverse populations on the continent, Sudan has suffered near constant conflict since gaining independence from Great Britain in 1956. Historically, much of the violence involved clashes between Sudan’s northern Muslim, Arab-speaking governance and the black African, non-Arab-speaking south. This has resulted in more than 2 million deaths and displacement of millions more and has contributed to deep-seeded religious and cultural divides. (more…)