ISS Seminar, Pretoria: South Sudan Referendum: Geopolitical and Geostrategic Implications
Date: 2011-02-22
Venue: , Brooklyn Lodge, Cnr Bronkhorst and Tram Streets, , New Muckleneuk, , Pretoria
RSVP:
Ms M Maluleke
Tel: 012 346 9500
Fax: 012 460 0997
[email protected]
Presented by the African Conflict Prevention Programme (ACPP) and the International Crime in Africa Programme (ICAP)
Africa’s largest country, Sudan, has since independence not been able to make peace with itself, partly because of its inability to reconcile the imperatives of nationhood with entrenched regional, ethnic and religious identities. The historic referendum in January 2011 was in some sense, intended to determine whether peace and stability in the Sudan was feasible within the framework of a united entity or through separation.
While the vote, on the whole, went smoothly and expectations are that the final outcome will be embraced by the major actors, there is consensus among various stakeholders that the referendum vote will have far reaching geopolitical and geostrategic implications on both the North and the South. This is particularly so in light of the wide-range of issues which remain to be resolved between the two ‘prospective sovereign entities’ of North and South Sudan. This includes, among others, the demarcation of the north-south border, and post referendum arrangements relating to citizenship, security and sharing of liabilities and assets. These alongside social and political cracks in the polities of both North and South Sudan, including the complicated crisis in Darfur, cast a shadow of uncertainty on the prospects for long-term peace and stability in the region.
This seminar seeks to:
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Explore the implications of South Sudan’s referendum on both the North and the South;
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Examine the nature and form of possible post-referendum relationships
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Look into the likely implications of the referendum on the crisis dynamics in Darfur; and
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Appraise the possible impact of the referendum on questions of self- determination in Africa
Speakers:
Participants are free to use the information presented, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed without his/her express permission.
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