This month marks the fifth anniversary of the signing of the historic Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Government of Sudan and the opposition forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). The long-awaited culmination of more than two years of grueling peace talks brought new hope to the war-torn country. As the CPA-mandated national elections and a referendum on the South’s secession near, that hope is rapidly dimming. The regime’s agenda of delay, deceit, and destruction is jeopardizing the agreement. Political, security, and border demarcation issues remain unresolved. Violence against South Sudanese civilians by Khartoum’s proxy militia groups also continues, with over 2,000 people killed in 2009 by militias and the Lord’s Resistance Army.

This discussion will focus on the current condition of the CPA and the need for a strengthened and energized U.S. policy to save the agreement and support the South in its efforts to bring freedom and democratic governance to all of Sudan.  

Hon. Ezekiel Lol Gatkuoth is the Head of Mission for the Government of Southern Sudan Mission to the United States in Washington, DC, and serves as the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement Representative to the United States.  He served in the Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Army. Hon. Gatkuoth advocates for democratic transformation in the Sudan, implementation of Sudan’s Comprehensive Peace Agreement, development for Southern Sudan, and an immediate end to the crisis in Darfur.

Andrew Natsios, Hudson Institute Senior Fellow, served from October 2006 to December 2007 as U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan, in which capacity he dealt with the crisis in Darfur and the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and the South Sudan. In 2006 he was appointed Special Coordinator for International Disaster Assistance and Special Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sudan. From 2001 to 2006, he served as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and between 1993 and 1998 he was vice president of World Vision U.S., the world's largest faith-based NGO. A former U.S. Army Reserves officer and Gulf War veteran, Mr. Natsios is currently Distinguished Professor at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service.

Roger P. Winter has worked on issues of peace, war, humanitarian assistance, civilian protection, and advocacy in Sudan nearly three decades. From 1981 to 2001, he served as Executive Director of the non-profit U.S. Committee for Refugees. Between 2001 and 2006, he was Assistant Administrator of USAID and as the Deputy Secretary of State’s Special Representative on Sudan. Currently Mr. Winter advises the Government of Southern Sudan on a voluntary basis.