Pile of social ills await post-conflict Sudan

KHARTOUM, Sudan, Dec 02, 2003 (PANA) — With peace in the horizon, observers here hope a break with two decades of civil war would give Sudanese authorities a chance to address social emergencies that have received little attention over the years.

Hunger and disease across Sudan’s south are among the worst on earth, and in the course of the war more than 2 million people died mostly from illness and famine, while millions more were displaced.

Diseases like leprosy, Guinea worm and river blindness are endemic in the country.

Also, tuberculosis and malaria kill tens of thousands every year, while the prevalence of malnutrition is among the world’s most severe.

Many of the worst affected people are trapped in isolated patches of land between government and rebel-held enclaves, virtually unreachable by aid groups and, until recently, seemingly forgotten.

But now, peace prospects appear brighter then ever, and there are indications a comprehensive peace deal might be reached at talks in the Kenyan town of Naivasha, before the year runs out.

The Muslim-led government in Khartoum is eager to shed its reputation in Washington as a rogue regime that sponsors terror, while the separatist Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) in the Christian and animist south is pressing its case at the negotiation table rather than on the battle front.

There is also a crucial new player in the mix, the US government, which says it would consider normalising relations with Sudan and lifting sanctions if peace is achieved.

“This pressure they are getting from America is actually making a difference,” says Daniel Dena Monydit, acting governor in the rebel-held Bahr el Ghazal province, adding “but if you want peace you must address all the marginalized areas.”

After more than a year of talks, a breakthrough came in September when the government in Khartoum agreed to let the SPLM/A retain its military force in the south, the main area of conflict since war began in 1983, for a six-year transition period.

The Bush administration is pushing to get a peace deal signed by the end of the year. But experts say an accord will mark only the first small step toward long-term stability in Sudan, a country with a population of more than 30 million.

The real challenge will be keeping the peace between the patchwork of rival tribes and ethnic groups that make up the south.

“This long war has broken down many of the social and cultural institutions that hold a society together,” notes Herbert Libel, a Jesuit missionary from Austria who works with the poor in southern Sudan.

“But at least now, the people have hope,” Libel adds.