Sudan Civil War Is Definitely Not Worth $100bn.

Robert Duncan

Friday, November 26, 2010

2:30 p.m.

Sudan has been a hotspot for news this week, with a supposed Northern air raid against a Southern military base, a threat from the Abyei region to hold it’s own vote for independence, and international “think-tanks” evaluate the cost of a return to war in Sudan. The helicopter strike that was carried out wounded six people, two of which were civilians, the southern forces claim that this was a move by the Northern military to attempt to delay the referendum, which will probably see Africa’s largest country split in two. The region of Abyei is one of the most contested areas for the referendum, due to its oil rich environment. Abyei is now threatening that it will hold it’s own referendum if the issues with voter registration are not solved within the month. Also, a report by several European and African economic and political experts came to the conclusion that a return to civil war for Sudan could cost more than $100,000,000,000.

These events are creating an uneasy environment surrounding the referendum, which is quite close now. The two military factions can’t seem to be able to coexist without trying to one-up each other, either through blatant attacks from the north or through the training that the south is giving the enemies of the north. The fact that Abyei is now protesting the delays and adding further stress to the situation is not helping calm anyone. The only voice that is calming at all is that of the researchers that have released the report that I mentioned earlier, saying that a return to civil war is by no means worth it, whether for Sudan, or the international community. A return to civil war could mean thousands of refugees pouring into the neighboring countries, which could put a strain on the weak economies that surround Sudan, which could lead to further conflict within the African continent.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/11/20101124164126907518.html

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/11/20101123173325119462.html

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2010/11/20101125191213564712.html