Overview

Sudan continues to take cautious steps towards sustainable peace, now more than two years since the January 2005 signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which ended decades of conflict between Khartoum and Southern Sudan. Since then, the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and Government of Sudan (GoS) have achieved several of the notable milestones set forth in the CPA. In July 2005, they inaugurated the power-sharing Government of National Unity (GoNU), while establishing the semi-autonomous Government of South Sudan (GoSS). At the same time, they agreed to a transitional legal framework, ratifying the Interim National Constitution (INC). In December 2005, the South ratified its own governing charter, the Interim Constitution of South Sudan (ICSS) and, later, constitutions for each of Southern Sudan's ten states.

At the same time however, the dividends of peace have been slow to reach the citizens of Sudan and public confidence in the CPA remains low, setting the stage for two upcoming political events established by the peace agreement: the country's first democratic parliamentary elections in 2009, and - the culmination of Sudan's transitional period - a referendum on Southern secession in 2011.

The failure to implement critical measures of the CPA and difficulties within the GoNU has been largely overshadowed by the ongoing conflict in Darfur. Although many issues remain unresolved, this transitional period represents the beginning of a new, more hopeful chapter in Sudan's history. NDI has been working with different elements of Sudanese society to help strengthen the participation of under-represented groups in the peace process, support the development of a new legal governing framework, and encourage civic dialogue as the country enters the post-conflict era.

Radio-based Civic Education

Given the diversity of Southern Sudan and the lack of information available to citizens, one of the best ways to ensure broad communication across such a large and underdeveloped area - and to reach people from a number of different ethnic groups - is through the use of radios. Having hit the airwaves in January 2007, NDI's multi-faceted, radio-based civic education program helps raise awareness among the citizens of Southern Sudan about their role in a democracy and to prepare them for organized participation in the political process. Created in partnership with the Sudan Radio Service, the Let's Talk! radio program introduces listeners to a wide range of civic topics, ranging from Sudan's transitional legal framework to strategies for combating corruption. As the country turns toward its historic national elections - scheduled for early 2009 - Let's Talk! will focus increasingly on voter education and the electoral process itself.

In an effort to promote a national dialogue on these important issues, NDI also convenes listening groups in communities throughout Southern Sudan, bringing citizens together to listen to episodes of Let's Talk! and participate in a moderated discussion afterwards

Radio-based outreach, however, is only as effective as citizens' means to access it. In a country characterized by vast distances, poor communications infrastructure, and a low level of literacy, NDI seeks to help bridge the information gap by distributing hundreds of thousands of manual- and solar-powered radios throughout Sudanese communities. Focusing first on Sudan's historically marginalized 'Three Areas' of Southern Kordofan, Abyei, and Blue Nile State, NDI's radio distribution program will ultimately reach all ten Southern states over the course of the next several years.

Working closely with local authorities to maximize the program's potential impact, NDI has begun to distribute thousands of radios, targeting community leaders like teachers and physicians to help promote community dialogue on Sudan's political transition.

Focus Group Research

NDI conducts regular qualitative public opinion research throughout Sudan to help policymakers, civil society groups and the international community better understand citizens' views and perspectives during the country's dynamic transitional period. To conduct this research, NDI has relied upon focus group discussions, allowing chosen participants to compare perspectives, exchange ideas and discuss the political environment - and thereby offering a fuller snapshot of public opinion. NDI's research not only endeavors to gauge attitudes, but also highlight citizens' needs and expectations for the interim period following the signing of the CPA.

To monitor changing perspectives in Southern Sudan, NDI has conducted focus group research in Southern Sudan roughly every six months since October 2004. The first report sought to establish a baseline of public sentiment leading up the signing of the CPA and citizens' satisfaction with the peace process to date. The findings of this research were subsequently presented to members of the emerging GoSS, civil society groups, and other stakeholders in the international community, providing insight into ordinary citizens' views of their leadership and political environment, and a glimpse into the level of information that exists in Southern Sudan about the basic tenants of democracy and governance. Click here to read the report (PDF)

	A Nuba Man participates in NDI's May 2006 Focus Group research in Southern Kordofan.

With the objective of facilitating citizen input into the constitutional development process, NDI completed a second round of focus groups in April 2005, spanning every major region of Southern Sudan. The final report summarizing the research findings was presented to the South Sudan Technical Drafting Committee, and was used to help inform the development of a Southern Sudanese Constitution that reflects the will of the people of this region. Click here to read the report (PDF)

In June 2005, as Sudan prepared to inaugurate its new national unity government, NDI convened a series of focus groups across northern Sudan, seeking to better understand true civic attitudes among the diverse peoples of this conflicted region. Representing the first research of its kind since the signing of the CPA, this work offers a unique glimpse into the attitudes of the northern Sudanese people towards the country's leadership, its governance, its potential for democracy, its persistent conflicts, and of course, its future. Click here to read the report (PDF)

As Sudan approached the one-year anniversary of the signing of the CPA, NDI conducted its third round of focus group research in the South in November 2005. In addition to gauging citizen confidence in the CPA and the pace of its implementation, this research also represented an opportunity to assess the impact of the sudden death of SPLM John Garang on public attitudes towards peace. Click here to read the report (PDF)

The focus of NDI's fourth round of public opinion research was to explore citizens' views on the implementation of the CPA in Southern Kordofan, Abyei, and Blue Nile State - known collectively as the 'Three Areas'. The region's cultural complexity, vast mineral wealth, and location on the border between northern and Southern Sudan combine to make implementation of the CPA more challenging in the 'Three Areas' than perhaps anywhere else. From April to July 2006, NDI researchers conducted 41 focus groups with a total of 447 participants representing five major ethnic groupings in the Three Areas. Click here to read the report (PDF)

A fifth round of focus groups in the South was conducted in February and March 2007. This series of focus groups sought to provide an updated gauge of general public opinion in the South on the progress of the CPA and the development of government institutions since the last round of focus groups in Southern Sudan were completed in December 2005. NDI conducted a series of 32 focus group discussions with citizens in 12 locations throughout Southern Sudan.  Click here to read the report (PDF)

The second round of focus groups in northern Sudan was completed by May 2007. The findings of these recent rounds of research are still being compiled and full reports will be released in the coming months.

Constitutional Development

As Sudan sets out on a path towards peace, the establishment of a credible transitional legal framework is critical to the sustainability of the CPA. Since its signing, the country has made notable progress in this respect, ratifying the INC on July 9th 2005, while the Government of Southern Sudan ratified the ICSS December 5th 2005.

NDI has been deeply involved in these developments, first offering technical assistance to the SPLM representatives participating in the national constitutional development process. Later, NDI provided extensive administrative and technical support to the South Sudan Technical Drafting Committee, offering the consultative expertise of international constitutional scholars and practitioners.

In 2006, NDI turned its attention to the development of state-level constitutions in the South, supporting the Ministry of Legal Affairs and Constitutional Development (MoLACD) to draft a state constitutional model. Building upon this work, NDI worked with both individual state legislatures to finalize their charters, while offering technical and administrative support to the MoLACD in its efforts to ensure the compliance of each one with the Southern and national constitutions. With the adoption of the state constitutions, the program is now focused on increasing awareness among government officials on the new legal framework.

Since early 2007, NDI has also engaged GoSS and SPLM representatives on the development of an elections law, helping to lay the legal foundation for the 2009 elections.

Enhancing the role of Youth and Women

As the prospect of peace grew stronger in Sudan, NDI brought together youth and women's organizations to NDI brought together youth from northern and Southern Sudan to encourage dialogue between individuals of different ethnic, tribal, religious and cultural groups. As diverse as these groups may be, they also shared the experience of having lived their entire lives in a perpetual state of civil unrest. The program sought to help these groups identify issues of common concern, identify the skills necessary to actively participate in a post-conflict society, and establish for themselves a constructive role in implementing their country's peace plan.

Stewards of Peace: The Role of Women & Youth in Post-Conflict Sudan, a report on the evolving civic role of these traditionally underrepresented groups, details NDI's work with Women and Youth in Sudan. Click here to read the report (PDF)

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