Sudan: Humanitarian Crisis, Peace Talks, Terrorism, and U.S. Policy
Abstract
Sudan has been ravaged by civil war intermittently for 4 decades. An estimated 2 million people have died over the past two decades due to war-related causes and famine, and millions have been displaced from their homes. The 21-year civil war continues to be a major contributing factor to recurring humanitarian crisis. There have been many failed attempts to end the civil war in southern Sudan, including efforts by Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, and the United States. To that end, governments from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, and Uganda formed a mediation committee under the aegis of the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) and held the first formal negotiations in March 1994. Finally, on Jan 9, 2005, the government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement signed the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement at a ceremony held in Nairobi, Kenya. The signing of the agreement ended the 21-year civil war and triggered a 6-year Interim Period. Meanwhile, the ongoing crisis in Darfur in western Sudan has led to a major humanitarian disaster, with an estimated 1.9 million people displaced and more than 213,000 people forced into neighboring Chad. While there are no reliable estimates of the number of people killed as a result of the conflict, some observers project that up to 300,000 people have been killed over the past 24 months. In July 2004, Congress declared the atrocities in Darfur genocide, and the Bush Administration reached the same conclusion in September 2004. Relations between the United States and Sudan are poor because of Khartoum's human rights violations, its war policy in the south, and its support for international terrorism. In Nov 1997, the Clinton Administration imposed comprehensive sanctions on the National Islamic Front (NIF) government. President Bush has renewed the sanctions since he came to office in 2001. A review of U.S. legislation regarding Sudan is included in this report.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 29, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA475110
Entities
People
- Ted Dagne
Organizations
- Library of Congress