USIP experts are more than analysts—they are practitioners that can often be found far outside Washington, D.C. putting conflict resolution methods into practice and aiding in the rebuilding and stabilization of communities that have experienced conflict. This series summarizes recent examples of USIP efforts to resolve conflicts around the world.
May 2009
More people have died in tribal violence in southern Sudan in recent months than in the western Darfur region of Sudan, the United Nations special representative to Sudan, Ashraf Qazi, said this week.
Creating a peaceful environment before the national elections in 2010 and a referendum on southern independence set for 2011 should be a top priority for the world and Sudanese authorities, Qazi emphasized.
USIP has been actively working on the ground to help create a peaceful setting with its USIP training programs on non-violent conflict resolution and election workshops.
In May, Jackie Wilson and Linda Bishai returned from Sudan, where they worked to engage and educate Sudanese on these electoral principles. They wrote about their experiences in their "Dispatches from Dilling" initially sent via text messages.
e're on the road to Dilling, a town in central Sudan, in a bit of a dust storm. Not fun with goats and donkeys crossing the road. Visibility is down to 15 feet at times, and very unpredictable. Along the way, we stopped for Nile perch for lunch. 
Dilling is in the northern part of South Kordofan state, part of northern Sudan but on the border with southern Sudan. It is one of the "Three Areas" that receive special treatment in Sudan's 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement because of their strategic location along the north-south border. A wide range of ethnic groups, comprising both Arab and African populations inhabit South Kordofan, a state which has seen significant violence in the past and continues to experience sporadic fighting.
Tensions are growing in the state as Sudan prepares for elections in 2010 and a referendum in 2011 on whether Southern Sudan should secede from the rest of the country.
Our Khartoum-based partner, Dr. Girshab, drove down with us from Khartoum wearing his USIP baseball cap. Girshab has worked with us since 2006 on building capacity for civil society groups and education institutions. As a "Northern Arab," his identity is automatically politicized in other parts of Sudan such as South Kordofan, but he has worked many times with Intisar and Hallah, staffers from the Badya Center in Dilling. Though all of these committed Sudanese have the resources to move abroad, they have chosen to stay and work to make their country peaceful.
Intisar and Hallah greeted us like old and dear friends. We first worked together in 2006. Amazingly, they had prepared an enormous home-cooked meal, consisting of many different dishes and fresh bread, and brought it to the guest house – a feast. Despite the challenges of staying in Dilling, such moments of hospitality make one feel like a royal guest.
We had a great first day of the Electoral Violence Prevention (EVP) Workshop. This workshop is targeting the decision-makers in groups that play a key role in the electoral process – such as political parties, the election commission, security officials, youth activists and student union leaders, the media, and womens' non-governmental organizations.
The case studies we use show how these groups react to decisions of other groups, like whether to boycott, or how to react when the electoral commission disallows domestic observers. We've found -- and explain to participants through these case studies -- that violence is not spontaneous. In fact, some people believe it will help them achieve a goal, but in fact violence does not get someone elected.
Anyway, the workshop yielded a great response – over 50 participants from across South Kordofan state. All ethnic groups and political parties were working together in small groups.
However, in many parts of Sudan outside the capital city of Khartoum people are demonstrably weary. They are paying attention, but somehow they seem listless and quiet, as if anything more than their daily struggle to avoid being caught up in violence is too much effort. People are tired of violence and yet seem helpless to escape it. We saw it in Darfur and also in the South. We also see a bit of it here in Dilling. Still, if there is a resumption of the civil war or electoral violence, this is likely to be one of the hubs.
We finished up the EVP workshop in Dilling. It went very well. Even so, concepts like various interests underlying demands are difficult for many to understand, and we have to work really hard to get them across. Stereotypes are deeply held and hard to break down. Some participants "get it," but others don't understand.
It is clear that the concept of stereotyping resonates with many Sudanese (it is frequent for participants to mention that they learned a lot from this segment of our programs) but they often fail to translate knowledge of the concept into a change in their own preconceived assumptions. Comments such as ‘everyone knows this tribe is very aggressive…' would drift through discussions.
Now, we're off to start our consultation. The focus of the consultation is to identify gaps in conflict management capacity among individuals, organizations and communities in South Kordofan so that future efforts, by USIP and others, can help fill those gaps.
Like other parts of Sudan, conflicts in South Kordofan are frequently about access and claim to land, water and livestock. Such issues used to be resolved peacefully by local chiefs and traditional methods, but the civil war and continued lack of development has meant that basic resources are scarce and so is the patience necessary to deal with conflicts over them. The wide availability of automatic weapons has made small-scale tribal feuds into serious conflicts that could easily precipitate a return to national-level war.
First day of consultation was amazing – dicey, actually. We had groups come together that are experiencing active conflicts in their tribes. Real political polarization.
All things considered, it went well but our experience during these workshops highlights to us how people can die rather easily here. Sometimes cows seem more treasured here than human life.
On the final day of the consultation, the Badya Center arranged for local dancers from the area's different tribes to come and dance. There were three troops, each entering separately and with different songs and steps. The African (Nuba) dancers were very rhythmic with syncopated clapping and pounding steps. Their Arab sisters were more swaying and melodic. But they all sang together and participants from the consultation all clapped and danced freely with them. We have observed this dynamic before - all Sudanese have local songs and dances, but they are also aware of and appreciative of the music and dancing of other parts of the country.
They are also very keen to ask foreign visitors to come and dance with them (and we provided a great deal of amusement in our attempts at the dance).
We're getting ready to leave Dilling. The consultation went well. Many participants appreciated "digging beneath the surface" to analyze their own conflicts.
So, we will be consulting from afar. Politics is really a mystery to many of the participants. Because local politicians are so often corrupt or unhelpful, they tend to think that eradicating politics is the secret to peace. Linda explained that the political process is how you achieve your goals without violence! In fact, said she wanted to turn them all into politicians.
A recent International Crisis Group report warned South Kordofan could be the "next Darfur" – something that residents here are keenly aware of.
As one participant told me "the ghost of war is here. If we don't work hard, war will come. "
Of Related Interest
- Jan Eliasson on Prospects for Peace in Sudan
Event, April 6, 2009 - A Regional Approach to Darfur: Perspectives from Sudan and Chad
Event, March 13, 2009 - The ICC in Sudan in Perspective
Event, March 11, 2009 - Conducting Elections in Darfur: Looking ahead to Sudan’s 2009 Elections
USIPeace Briefing, March 2009 (PDF - 208KB) - Engaging the Darfur Diaspora for Peace
USIPeace Briefing, Febraury 2008 - Sudan
In the Field, October 3, 2007 - Sudan’s 2009 Elections: Critical Issues and Timelines
USIPeace Briefing, August 2007 - Sudan Web Links
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