What the West gets wrong about peacemaking in Sudan
Do not treat warlords like statesmen
The war in Sudan is causing relief, fear and déjà vu in Juba, the capital of its southern neighbour. Relief because South Sudan, which seceded from Sudan in 2011, seems somewhat insulated from the chaos. Fear because Sudan’s violence may nevertheless spill over the border between the two, exacerbating the conflicts that still rage in the world’s newest country. And déjà vu because what is happening in Sudan today looks like a repeat of events in South Sudan in its years after independence, when the West’s well-intentioned attempts at peacemaking and state-building ended in war and anarchy.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “War and peacemaking”
From the May 13th 2023 edition
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