Confederation: A Better Tool for Good Neighborliness and Prosperous Relationships between Sudan and South Sudan

Abstract

This article aims to renew the debate on confederation as a promising tool for better management of the relationships between two Sudans following South Sudan’s independence in July 2011. There has been a growing concern that unity-separation only model may not sufficiently address their complex relationships in a postindependence era. Drawing on original work by the author presented in November 2010 at St. Antony's College, Oxford, the article examines the current literature on the subject of confederation in Sudan and elsewhere, introduces Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and its implications for the future of Sudan, and traces the historical evolution of confederation as a concept in Sudan's political vocabulary - specially pertaining to North-South relations. It also examines its utility as a potential tool for building more enduring and prosperous relationships between the two Sudans, while highlighting the challenges that might face its adoption as well as evaluating existing success factors.