USAID/OTI Sudan Field Report
September 2003
Program Description
Since 1983, an estimated two million Sudanese have died as a result of the protracted conflict, drought, and famine. In the past year, however, several positive developments within Sudan have occurred, providing new opportunities to finally resolve Africa's longest war and move the country toward a lasting peace. In addition to several successful local-level, people-to-people peace processes, the Government of Sudan (GOS) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) appear to be on the verge of a peace agreement.
OTI's work links ongoing peace processes to initiatives that promote increased participation of southern Sudanese in their governing structures. The OTI southern Sudan program has three main objectives: - the strengthening of key processes, mechanisms, and institutions for responsible governance and civil society development;
- the increase in access to quality, independent information;
- and the promotion of processes, mechanisms, and institutions that promote peace and stability.
OTI's program in southern Sudan supports activities in the following focus areas:
- Independent Southern Sudan Media: Given the high levels of illiteracy in southern Sudan, radio is the most effective vehicle for relaying information about the peace process, general news, and updates on humanitarian and development programming. With funding from OTI, Educational Development Center (EDC) has established a two-hour, Monday-Friday short wave local-language radio service for southern Sudan.
- Foster Demand for Good Governance: OTI's efforts focus on strengthening the rule of law by increasing the independence and effectiveness of the judiciary and developing governance entities in southern Sudan. OTI has issued a grant to the British NGO Christian Aid to provide targeted assistance to the judiciary and critical civil society actors working to promote good governance.
- Provide Rapid Targeted Support to Governance and Peace-building Efforts: Proposed OTI interventions in this area include the provision of technical assistance/capacity building to civil society groups and key sector governance bodies, and the implementation of community-identified priority projects to secure local peace agreements among citizens. OTI has contracted with the US-based NGO Pact, Inc. to create a small grants mechanism to implement such activities.
COUNTRY SITUATION
During September, the ongoing peace process between the GOS and SPLM achieved a critical breakthrough. After months of stalled progress and attendant concern in the international community that the momentum for a peace settlement was being lost, SPLM Chairman John Garang met with Sudan's Vice-President Ali Osman Taha in Kenya to reinvigorate the talks. After a marathon, three-week negotiating session, the two sides signed a document on September 25 that outlined the post-peace agreement security arrangements - the issue that had been the main obstacle to progress in the talks.
The key compromise achieved allows both sides to maintain their respective armies in the north and south, with Joint/Integrated Units (JIU) made up of troops from both armies to be placed in key areas of the country. Previously, the GOS had demanded a single integrated army of the two former combatant forces, while the SPLM argued for the maintenance of two separate armies in the north and the south. The JIU forces will be present throughout southern Sudan, with concentrations in the Nuba Mountains, Southern Blue Nile, and Khartoum. A Joint Defense Board will be created under the authority of the Presidency to coordinate the separate armies and oversee the JIU forces.
With this issue now resolved, the negotiating parties can address the remaining issues of power and wealth-sharing when the talks resume in mid-October. Among the first agenda items for the two sides will be the status of the three transitional areas, the Southern Blue Nile, Nuba Mountains, and Abyei. Many international observers are optimistic that a final peace agreement between the GOS and SPLM can be completed in the next two months.
In contrast to the progress in the SPLM-GOS talks, parts of Sudan continued to experience strife and instability. Most notably, conflict and displacement continued in the western provinces of Darfur, where the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM) has been fighting GOS forces in an effort to gain greater autonomy. The two sides did sign a cease-fire agreement in early September, but sporadic fighting continued throughout the month. In September, UNHCR reported that some 65,000 Sudanese refugees from the Darfur region in neighboring Chad were in need of food and shelter assistance. Efforts by the international community to assist the displaced have been initiated, but there is little optimism that the refugees will be able to return to their homes in Darfur in the near future.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Narrative Summary
During September the OTI/Sudan team participated in a series of conferences and workshops. Early in the month, OTI staff, along with the USAID Sudan Program team, met for three days to discuss the future direction of the Agency's efforts in Sudan, particularly in light of the increased prospect of a GOS-SPLM peace agreement. The meeting helped clarify the various USAID bureaus and offices' roles and expectations and provided an opportunity for sharing on past and current program highlights.
The OTI team then traveled to Rumbek in southern Sudan to participate in a five-day meeting on Rule of Law (ROL) programming. The meeting gathered stakeholders together in one place to discuss the building of ROL and judicial systems in southern Sudan. OTI team members looked on the conference as an opportunity to listen to Sudanese defining their needs, network with other donors/stakeholders, and identify additional entry points for OTI work.
Following the Rumbek meeting, the OTI team returned to Nairobi, where it joined with OTI/Washington staff in a four-day meeting on developing a strategic plan for southern Sudan. OTI's implementing partners - EDC, Pact, and Christian Aid - USAID/REDSO staff, and the U.S. Embassy Sudan Watcher also participated in the meeting. Over the course of the week, the discussion focused on four questions: where are we going (goal/vision); what are we trying to achieve (objectives); how will we achieve our objectives (activities); and, how will we know if we have reached our objectives (monitoring and evaluation)?
Using the original OTI country assessment as a starting point, the group discussed the type of role OTI should play in Sudan's transition from a culture of war to one of peace and good governance. The group defined three main objectives for the program:
- strengthen key processes, mechanisms, and institutions for responsible governance and civil society development;
- bolster emerging processes, mechanisms, and institutions that promote peace and stability; and
- increase access to quality, independent information.
Activities to accomplish these objectives include, but are not limited to: - establishing a short wave radio service;
- providing technical and material assistance to civil society organizations and governing entities at all levels within southern Sudan;
- facilitating meetings and conferences to debate policy and support the creation of governance frameworks; and,
- promoting civic education activities, information campaigns to bolster local and national peace processes, and dispute resolution training.
This strategy revision will be finalized in coming weeks, after being vetted and reviewed, and will then serve as the basis for OTI's program for the next year. While the revision was based on the expectation that a comprehensive GOS-SPLM peace agreement will be reached shortly, OTI's objectives will be applicable in other scenarios as well. Moreover, the revision will allow for other specific activities, as critical windows of opportunity and access to new areas arise. It is also important to note that OTI/Sudan's program has been designed and is being implemented in conjunction with USAID's Interim Strategic Plan (ISP) for Sudan, which was approved in June 2003. OTI programming will support the overall ISP goal of establishing a foundation, with the broad participation of the Sudanese people, for a just and durable peace. OTI programming will contribute to two of the ISP's five objectives; specifically, expanded support to the peace process and more responsive and participatory governance.
B. Program Activities
During September, CA continued its efforts to improve the judiciary and promote good governance. CA delivered 12 motorbikes and 10 Codan radios to the southern Sudanese Judiciary Management Committee (JMC), headquartered in Rumbek. The radios and motorbikes are intended to help judges overcome travel and communication difficulties that limit their ability to resolve cases and dispense justice in a timely fashion. These items are being distributed to County Judges throughout southern Sudan, including ones in Rumbek, Tonj/Gogrial counties, Twic and Abyei counties, Yei and Wau counties, Southern Blue Nile, and the Nuba Mountains. County Judges from these areas received training on the equipment in Rumbek. To ensure proper use and maintenance of the equipment, the JMC and CA drew up a set of guidelines that each recipient judge must sign and adhere to. The equipment will test the judges' capacity to manage resources provided by the donor community, and hopefully engender a commitment by the southern Sudanese judiciary to create better internal management systems.
CA also completed work on a development plan for Southern Blue Nile, one of the areas in southern Sudan most cut off from international assistance because of conflict there. The draft plan, which details the region's needs and resources, has been reviewed in a series of stakeholder meetings and local authorities, NGOs, community leaders, and the public have all had the opportunity to comment on it. Next steps include devising a timeframe for implementation of the plan's recommendations and holding meetings with organizations interested in working in Southern Blue Nile to see how the plan might inform their programming for the region.
EDC continued to expand its radio programming in September. Since the August launch of news broadcasts in nine languages, EDC has been developing other program content, including profiles of local and international organizations working in southern Sudan. It also started developing cultural programs for the radio service, beginning with a series exploring the unique traditions of the Nuba Mountains. With its formal registration in Kenya completed, plans have been finalized to begin moving programming from Washington D.C. back to Nairobi. EDC's buildings in Nairobi are being refurbished and it is anticipated that all radio content will be produced there or in southern Sudan by mid-October.
In September, Pact staff traveled to southern Sudan to work with local partners on identifying potential grants. Currently there are 15 grants in the pipeline. Pact staff also began planning for the All-Southern Conference to be held later this year. At the same time, work on Pact's Kapoeta field office was nearing completion and land was leased outside of Rumbek for a field office there.
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
- OTI staff will work to finalize the strategic plan for southern Sudan;
- EDC and OTI will continue working to move the Sudan Radio Service to Nairobi from Washington D.C.;
- Pact will continue work on establishing field offices in Kapoeta and Rumbek; and,
- The OTI/Sudan Country Representative will visit OTI/Angola to review its program implementation strategies.
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