Sudan: Survival Depends on Getting to Inclusive Government

Politics in Sudan have cycled brief democratic interludes and lengthy periods of military rule ended by popular uprising. The failures and current paralysis of the Bashir regime suggest that the end is approaching. Governance failure stems from riverine Arab efforts to impose a Muslim-Arab narrative on a highly diverse country, working through divide-and-rule tactics. The demise of that narrative is apparent because the inclusive vision of the late southern leader John Garang has infused the entire periphery. The south has become the independent nation of South Sudan. Divide-and-rule is breaking down in Darfur where Arab-on-Arab violence prevails. The United States worked through regional and UN bodies to achieve the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the referendum in South Sudan, and the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur. These achievements have brought neither peace nor inclusive governance. The new international consensus calls for a single peace process for Sudan, rather than piecemeal approaches to each conflict. The United States should support a two-stage negotiation process-regional and national-to bring the crises in South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Darfur to a comprehensive solution.