The Place of Federalism in a Renewed Sudan
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FederationsFederations w h at ’ S n e w i n F e d e r a l i SM wo r l dw i d e 2010 SPECIAL issue the place of federalism in a renewed Sudan northern Sudan could reorganize - even without the South interview: deputy governor of forumfed.org south kordofan ages ages M etty I etty g / AFP / y ZL SHA ASHRAF 2010 Sudan Special Issue sudanese men ride their camels towards pyramids in the Meroe desert, north of khartoum. board oF directorS Federations vijay kelkar, Chairman (India); a publication of the forum of federations abay tsehaye abay (ethiopia); alexander alvaro (european union); ken Boessenkool (Canada); kim Campbell (Canada); SENIOR EDITOR rod Macdonell John de Chastelain (Canada); Walter fust (switzerland); Associate editor Carl stieren ramón galindo (Mexico); Julius Ihonvbere (nigeria); special issue editor shawn houlihan (addis ababa) Wolf Linder (switzerland); georg Milbradt (germany); LAYOUT shannon elliot and yani roumeliotis Johanne poirier (Canada); vicente Carlos y plá trevas (Brazil); arabic tranSlation Maha Bustami, Maha takla, roger Wilkins (australia). nadia nouri ARABIC REVISIONS: farah kawtharani return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: copy editor robert Winters ForuM oF FederationS editorial AssiStant rita Champagne 325 dalhousie, suite 700 federations is published annually by the forum of ottawa, ontario k1n 7g2 Canada federations. tel: 613- 244-3360 fax: 613-244-3372 [email protected] www.forumfed.org this special edition of federations magazine was produced by the forum of federations as part of its two-year governance Canada post publications program in sudan, a program funded by the Canadian Mail agreement department of foreign affairs and International trade. no. 40745010 Federations M oru f to the the to L a ci pe s / Z e I haf L de Ab . Sudan Special issue a M Issa cover: introduction 2 Sudan Post-2011 By Shawn HouLihan 6 special edition ages M 6 Abundant lessons for Sudan from abroad by RichaRd SiMeOn & MaRie-jOËlle zahaR etty I etty g / AFP / y 10 Amid fears of secession, new visions of Sudan emerge ZL by haFiz IsmaiL MOhaMed SHA ASHRAF 13 What Sudan might look like after 2011 by jaLaL AbdeL-LatiF & SeiFuLaziz LaMin MiLaS Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir (right) 16 Interview: deputy Governor abdel aziz al-hilu welcomes Salva Kiir, of Southern Kordofan who heads Sudan’s former rebel Sudan 19 Southern Sudan faces challenges after referendum People’s Liberation by tODD DUSENBeRy Movement, as Sudan’s First Vice President at a 21 Northern Sudan could reorganize - even without the South swearing-in ceremony by OMeR awadalla Ali in Khartoum on May 29, 2010. 24 Sharing the wealth: oil for Sudan’s development By George anderson 27 Lessons learned from africa by jaaP de VisseR 30 Building new institutions interviewS with gordOn soro and aMna abbaKeR Sudan SPecial issue Sudan post-2011 federal systems are likely in referendum aftermath. Federations 2 Z e I af h ah M ll da /Issa Ab M n n I d SUDAN SPECIAL ISSUE 2010 oru L f ure n to the the to ed ed L M a ci pe s /Moha REUTERS Sudan, north and South: kamal hassan (left) from the ruling national Congress party, and Luka Biong from the sudan people’s Liberation Movement, sit side by side at a session of the african union and the united nations sudan Consultative forum in khartoum in 2010. By shaWn houlihan Sudan. Residents of two border states, ture for Sudan, with a highly Southern Kordofan and Blue nile, which autonomous Government of Southern ore than two decadeS oF are within the north but where many Sudan governed mainly by the SPLM civil war in Sudan ended fought alongside the SPLM, will hold and a Government of national unity in on jan. 9, 2005, with the “Popular consultations” to determine Khartoum with the two signing parties s i g n i n g o f t h e their status; and another border region, sharing control of the central comprehensive Peace abyei, will also stage a referendum on government. agreement by Sudan’s two whether to join South Sudan. whatever the result of the Southern M dominant political forces: referendum, it is likely that a form of fed- the ruling national congress Party and Making unity attractive eralism, or some elements of federalism, the Sudan People’s Liberation The pre-referendum period from 2005 to will be part of government in both the Movement (SPLM), which heads the 2010 was designed by the drafters of the north and the south of Sudan in all sce- government in Southern Sudan. agreement as a period in which all actors narios that may emerge after 2011. t h e c o m p r e h e n s i v e P e a c e would work to “make unity attractive” – it is in this context that the Forum of agreement, known as the cPa, is an that is, to give one more chance to show Federations is publishing this special extensive, detailed, 241-page document. that a united Sudan can work, especially edition of Federations magazine. Our But it is fair to say that the centrepiece of for Southerners. aim is not to advocate for federalism or a the agreement is the promise of a refer- in addition to providing for a referen- particular brand of federalism. it is to endum in which Southern Sudanese will dum for the South, the cPa is essentially provide a neutral and authoritative con- decide in early 2011 whether to become a power- and wealth-sharing agreement. tribution to the debate and to inform the fully independent or stay in a united it created an asymmetrical federal struc- public about federal ideas and the accompanying challenges in Sudan (and Shawn houlihan is the director of africa programs at the forum of federations in addis its component parts) under any of the ababa. forumfed.org Sudan SPecial issue scenarios and political configurations that one order of government cannot federalism for Sudan on the one hand that may emerge in 2011. usurp another’s powers, which differen- and its apparent non-readiness to make although federalism seldom makes tiates it from decentralized unitary it work on the other – that haunts Sudan headlines, it is an essential part of gov- systems where powers can be given and and those who are working toward a ernment in some countries on every taken away according to the central gov- durable peace for all Sudanese. continent of the world. More than 40 per ernment’s wishes. this contradiction is also a reason cent of the world’s population lives in comparative studies show that fed- many argue that Sudan (or any of its federal or federal-type systems of gover- eral countries have found many creative future configurations) should remain nance. This includes some of the world’s and effective combinations of constitu- relatively centralized rather than being more prosperous and long-standing tional and institutional arrangements federal. This argument can be refuted in democracies, such as australia, that fit different countries’ political, two parts. First, centralized governance Switzerland and the united States. social and economic needs and even has utterly failed over several decades More recently several countries have their historical circumstances. and under various regimes in Sudan. adopted federal systems as a means to But federalism does not solve all Second, The more nuanced answer is Federations end a long conflict. Some of these cases, problems. One eminent scholar, that there is no contradiction between a such as ethiopia, seem to be succeeding, Professor Richard Simeon, refers to the federal system and strong central powers 3 while others, like czechoslovakia, have “prerequisites” that are needed to make in certain key spheres of governance, or failed. For some, such as iraq and nepal, it is too early to tell. Sudan has reasons for federalism when one looks at the reasons that coun- tries become federal, Sudan has many of the requisite characteristics or features, such as: M oru • Large geographic territory: Many f large countries, such as australia, Brazil, the to L a ci canada, india, Russia, and the united SUDAN SPECIAL ISSUE 2010 pe s / Z e States, are federations. I haf • ethnic, linguistic and religious diver- L de Ab sity, such as in the federations of . a Belgium, canada, ethiopia, india, M nigeria, and Switzerland. Sudan, with a Issa residents of Blue nile state gather in the city of damazin. Blue nile state is where the population of about 42 million, has 597 roseires dam, the main source of hydroelectric power in sudan, has been built. ethnic groups that speak 115 dialects. • distrust about any over-concentra- tion of power which federalism diffuses federalism work: democracy, constitu- options for shared jurisdiction. The chal- by guaranteeing power in numerous tionalism and rule of law, trust and lenge then, is to design a system that fits centres, and not just the national capital, consensus, a common set of shared the nation’s particular needs. which was one of the main driving forces interests, respect for minorities, admin- Federalism has met with mixed suc- behind the creation of the world’s oldest istrative capacities at all levels, fiscal cess as a tool to resolve conflict. federation, the uSa. resources at all levels and power sharing this point is argued in the article by • Prolonged conflict among different at the centre. Richard Simeon and Marie-joëlle zahar. communities within a centralized coun- They emphasize that whatever the refer- try, which has had the effect of eroding Not every prerequisite necessary endum outcome in Southern Sudan in national solidarity over time.