State and USAID: The information on this page is for the newly created country of the Republic of South Sudan following the July 2011 election. Historical data for Sudan prior to the secession of South Sudan is available on the Sudan, Pre-Election 2011 page. Data for South Sudan is available on the South Sudan page.

Advancing peace and stability in Sudan continues to be one of the highest U.S. foreign policy priorities in Africa, both in the context of seeking an end to regional conflicts, and in fostering national reconciliation mechanisms, while attending to the humanitarian needs in marginalized areas and promoting durable solutions. Despite a peaceful referendum in January 2011 that resulted in the secession of South Sudan from Sudan in July 2011, continued armed conflicts between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in Abyei and the SPLA-North in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile have set back Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA)-era peace-building processes and institutions in the “Three Areas” (Blue Nile, Southern Kordofan, and Abyei) and have further strained relations between Sudan and South Sudan. U.S. sanctions imposed on Sudan have limited the scope of development assistance, and access to many geographic areas of programming has been blocked due to regional insecurity and Government of Sudan-imposed travel restrictions. In Darfur, despite ongoing conflict, efforts continue to bring non-signatory movements to the Doha Document for Peace in Darfur (DDPD) to join the peace process and create an environment conducive to transition from relief to development. Key to the creation of that environment will be timely assistance to community-led early recovery activities to lay the foundation for a sustainable peace.

Sudan will continue to play a significant role in regional security. Resources are necessary to consolidate peace building efforts, strengthen local governance capacity for conflict mitigation, and promote community-level reconciliation and collaborative development. While it is important to support separate peace processes for Darfur and the Three Areas, it is increasingly evident that Sudan needs to address the root causes of conflict lodged in poor governance. National solutions to reoccurring problems of conflict and deprivation will require participatory processes and mechanisms for governance reform. In addition to pursuing diplomatic goals and meeting humanitarian needs, the United States will address governance issues, promote civil society, and support community-level reconciliation and collaborative development in vulnerable areas of Sudan where possible. (Source: N/A)