Sudan: Charting the Course Ahead

Morgan Lorraine Roach / January 07, 2011

“You know, my people told me I should never meet with you,” Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir told Richard Williamson, former U.S. special envoy to Sudan, during the Bush Administration.

Clearly, it’s no easy task conducting diplomatic relations with Khartoum’s government. Yet two days from the referendum that will likely split north and south, the international community has flocked to Sudan, working to establish security and stability and preparing for the aftermath

This is where the hard work begins. The south possesses the near insurmountable task of building a new state. Establishing a government and economy will take time as southern Sudan—if things go well—will be shifting from a military adversarial posture to one based on development, according to Special Assistant to the President Gayle Smith. Many issues such as oil revenue rights and border demarcation are unresolved, and long-term negotiation will be required. (more…)