Project overview

 Political Accommodation in the Sudan Overview (PDF)

Conflict Dynamics is undertaking an initiative to explore, generate and ‘feed in’ – to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) partners, parties to the conflict in Darfur, other political actors, mediators and international supporters – technical options to accommodate political interests and perspectives in the Sudan.

The project seeks to develop options for political accommodation and the associated frameworks for political and economic interaction in advance of- and following the referendum on self-determination of the people of Southern Sudan. The technical options being developed span the spectrum of single and multiple States, and therefore go beyond the current, ‘binary’ focus on full unity or complete secession following the Referendum.

Context

Political actors and indeed the people of the Sudan are entering what will in all likelihood be the most tumultuous and politically-volatile period in Sudan’s modern history. Under the provisions of the 2005 CPA signed between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), national elections are due to take place in 2010 and a referendum on self-determination of the people of Southern Sudan is scheduled to take place in early 2011.

The Referendum, whether it takes place in 2011 or later, will catalyze an unprecedented political transformation, irrespective of the outcome of the plebiscite.

Critical to maintaining political stability and preventing potentially-violent disputes is the ability to achieve mutual conciliation or accommodation of oft-competing political views and interests in the Sudan. That objective, and the associated processes, arrangements or outcomes are collectively referred to here as political accommodation.

Objectives

The primary purpose of the project is to enhance the prospects for peace and stability in the Sudan in advance of- and following the referendum on self-determination of the people of Southern Sudan through exploration and provision of technical options for political accommodation. In pursuit of this overarching purpose the specific project objectives are:

1. To explore and generate technical options for political accommodation, including frameworks for political interaction, which span the spectrum of single and multiple States
2. To develop these technical options in an integrated manner to reflect the interconnected needs of the North-South, Darfur contexts
3. To identify challenges and opportunities associated with implementation and process timelines in the North-South and Darfur processes and how the technical options can address these challenges
4. To ‘feed in’ these technical options to the CPA partners, parties to the conflict in Darfur. Other political actors, international supporters, and mediators
5. To facilitate a limited but targeted dialogue on political accommodation with key interlocutors in the Sudan.

The technical options include, for example: models of State Union (e.g. Benelux Union, or the East Africa Community); federal structures that offer more potential for political accommodation that the current interim arrangements (e.g. two constituent federal entities with qualified decision-making procedures, as in the case of Serbia & Montenegro); decision-making arrangements based on parallel consent or consensus models etc.

Political accommodation

The term political accommodation “encompasses the objectives, process or outcome of mutual conciliation around competing political views and interests.”

Conflict Dynamics has developed a typology of five focal areas for political accommodation which is being used to explore technical options, both within a single State and between two States:

• Political Structure and Decentralization
• Electoral System
• Executive Branch
• Legislative Assembly
• Public Participation

Indicators of the degree of political accommodation are used to assess the various technical options developed, with a view to achieving equity of political representation and equity of decision-making influence, especially within central-level institutions.

Project architecture and methodology

Conflict Dynamics’ initiative on political accommodation employs a modular architecture consisting of five interwoven strands of activity for an integrated approach: Strand I – Political accommodation in North-South context; Strand II – Ensuring confluence of options across North-South and Darfur contexts; Strand III – Political accommodation and peace in Darfur; Strand IV – Learning from experiences in other contexts; and Strand V – Targeted national dialogue on political accommodation.

The methodology to implement the project consists of several components: (A) extensive literature review; (B) interviews and consultations; (C) development of technical options for political accommodation; (D) targeted presentation of technical options to political actors; and (E) consultations, outreach and dissemination to ensure uptake of options.

Project outputs

The primary deliverables/products developed under this project are technical inputs and options for the CPA partners, other political parties/actors, international supporters and mediators, and others to consider pertaining to political accommodation. These options are presented in targeted briefing papers in Arabic and English languages.

Two Briefing Papers have been produced under this initiative to date: National Elections and Political Accommodation in the Sudan (June 2009) (عربي ); and Electoral Reform in Sudan and Prospects for Peace in Darfur (October 2008).