Dual realities: Peace and war in the Sudan – An update on the implementation of the CPA

This briefing from the Institute for Security Studies evaluates the fragile implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in Sudan as of May 2007. It details significant failures in security arrangements, the lack of a functioning population census, and the political tensions between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) ahead of planned national elections.

• The security arrangements of the CPA are precarious, evidenced by a serious ceasefire violation in November 2006 involving the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), and the South Sudan Defence Force (SSDF) in Malakal, which resulted in approximately 150 deaths.
• Joint Integrated Units (JIUs), intended as symbols of national unity, have suffered from a lack of integration and a failure to establish a common doctrine until February 2007. Furthermore, both the SAF and SPLA have deployed former militias and Other Armed Groups (OAGs) to these units rather than regular troops, particularly in oil-producing areas like Malakal, Jonglei, and Upper Nile State.
• The redeployment of SAF forces from the South to the North, which was supposed to be completed by the end of 2007, is incomplete. While 70 to 80 percent of forces have redeployed overall, only about 48 percent have left the strategic Upper Nile and Unity areas.
• The population census, a prerequisite for national elections and the 2011 referendum, has faced severe delays due to political friction, inadequate funding, and technical failures, including a fire that destroyed critical data at the South Sudan Commission for Census, Statistics and Evaluation (SSCCSE) offices.
• Southern Sudan faces an acute shortage of legal and judicial capacity, with fewer than 150 qualified legal professionals in the region and only two trained public prosecutors. This vacuum is exacerbated by a 'brain drain' to international NGOs and the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS).
• The National Congress Party (NCP) maintains dominance through its control of the security services and the oil and agricultural industries, while using Islamist rhetoric for domestic mobilization. Some factions within the NCP, such as the Just Peace Forum, are now openly calling for the immediate secession of the South.
• The SPLM is struggling with internal cohesion due to Dinka-Nuer ethnic tensions and allegations of corruption. To improve its national standing for future elections, the party decided in February 2007 to move its national headquarters from Juba to Khartoum.

APA

Jooma, M. B. (2007). Dual realities: Peace and war in the Sudan – An update on the implementation of the CPA. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SUDANSITREPMAY07.PDF

Chicago

Jooma, Mariam Bibi. Dual realities: Peace and war in the Sudan – An update on the implementation of the CPA. Institute for Security Studies, 2007. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SUDANSITREPMAY07.PDF.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jooma |first1=Mariam Bibi |title=Dual realities: Peace and war in the Sudan – An update on the implementation of the CPA |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=16 May 2007 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SUDANSITREPMAY07.PDF |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jooma2007dual, author = {Jooma, Mariam Bibi}, title = {{Dual realities: Peace and war in the Sudan – An update on the implementation of the CPA}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2007}, month = may, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/SUDANSITREPMAY07.PDF}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }