Earlier this month the results of southern Sudan’s long-awaited referendum became official with ninety-nine percent of voters casting their ballot for independence. The referendum was one of the final steps in the fulfillment of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended the civil war between north and south. On July 9 southern Sudan will become an independent state, and though the symbolism of the event cannot be understated, many challenges remain. Issues of border demarcation, citizenship, debt negotiations, the conflict in Darfur as well as infrastructure and development have yet to be settled.
The United States has played a significant role in southern Sudanese independence. President Bush facilitated negotiations of the CPA in 2005 and the Obama Administration has pledged its support in the run-up and aftermath of the referendum. The U.S. has called upon the government in Khartoum to respect the referendum’s results and stated its intensions to work with both the north and south as the secession process moves forward.
Join us as our distinguished panel analyzes the referendum results, the implications they have for the future as well as the role of the United States in partnering with the world’s newest country.
More About the Speakers
Jon Temin
Director of the Sudan Program, United States Institute for Peace
Ambassador Richard Williamson
Former U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan
Ambassador Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth
Head of Mission to the United States, Government of Southern Sudan