A briefing note summarising the trip of the Parliamentary Delegation to Sudan from 18th - 23rd February 2011.
Download the briefing: http://www.apg-sudan.org/images/stories/PDFs/DelegationBriefing2011.pdf
On the 17th of March a delegation of UK parliamentarians became the first international parliamentary delegation to visit Sudan following the results of the referendum, in which an overwhelming majority of South Sudanese voted to secede from the north.
Members of the Associate Parliamentary Group for Sudan met with representatives of government at the highest level in Juba and Khartoum (including President Salva Kiir), Sudanese civil society, international NGOs, the UN, and many more, as well as visiting humanitarian and development projects. As part of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Fellowship Scheme, the delegation focussed on the status of Sudan in the post-referendum period, in particular understanding how the international community can continue to support peace and development in Sudan in this new era.
This visit coincided with a critical time for Sudan. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement – which brought an end to more than two decades of fighting which killed nearly two million people and displaced four million – expires in July 2011. Lasting peace may be within the grasp of the two newest countries in the world, but there are many challenges still to be tackled – the threat of violence, oil revenue sharing, debt, border demarcation and disputed territories along the border, and many more.
