In the wake of Rwanda's tragedy, the world stood as one and pledged: 'Never again'. Never again would we allow such an horrific abuse of human life and dignity to occur. Now, less than 20 years later, less than 1000 kilometres from Rwanda's borders – we find our promise being tested.
Five years ago, Sudan signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and put an end to half a century of devastating civil war, violence and bloodshed. Today, key provisions of that agreement – including border demarcation, wealth sharing, citizenship, and determining the status of the transitional areas – remain unfulfilled, and present a persistent threat to the cease-fire.
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But the keystone of the CPA offers hope to a broken nation: a referendum giving the people of Southern Sudan the opportunity to become an independent state is scheduled for 9 January, 2011.
While the referendum has the potential to bring much-needed change to a region plagued by instability, the hope it brings is dimmed by rising tensions and threats of intimidation and violence that remain an ever-present reality.
Should early January see the country plunged once more into violent turmoil – a realistic fear no matter the outcome of the referendum – it is likely to reach far beyond Sudanese borders and implicate myriad African nations in a bloody conflict; a conflict the likes of which the world has not witnessed since Rwanda.
Sudan is not yet in crisis, the eyes of the world are not yet focused on the Sudanese people, but we have been here before. The signs are familiar, the potential for disaster unmistakable. The world must prepare.
Over the coming weeks, it is critical that Sudan receive support from governments and organisations around the world to ensure the change it requires for a peaceful future. A return to war will represent a moral failure on the part of all those charged with implementing the CPA, including the CPA guarantors and the international community.
For more than a decade, Caritas Australia has worked in Sudan to improve water and sanitation, education, and livelihood opportunities as well as offering emergency relief in times of crisis. With hope now that the Sudanese people may enter a new era of peace, tempered by the