April 2012 South Sudan's army, or the SPLA, soldiers drive in a truck on the frontline in Panakuach, Unity state, 24 April 2012. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic The condemnations were met with anger from Crisis on the border South Sudan, with questions such as ‘where were The disputed area of Heglig, or Panthou as it is the condemnations when Sudan occupied (and being referred to in South Sudan, grabbed the continues to occupy) Abyei? Where were the world’s attention in the past weeks. On 10 April condemnations when Sudan began and continues 2012 the Government of the Republic of South to bomb Unity State in South Sudan?’ (See the Sudan announced that they had successfully next article, ‘Word on the street’ for some views occupied the area which most people had from South Sudanese.) understood to be part of Sudan in the troubled While South Sudanese maintain that they have state of Southern Kordofan. always considered the area of Panthou (Heglig) to The reaction from the international community was be part of South Sudan, the dispute remained nearly instantaneous and universal in its message generally off the radar, overshadowed by issues of condemnation. Amid growing concerns of an such as the ownership of Abyei and negotiations outbreak of war between Sudan and South Sudan, on oil revenues. The issue of ownership of many saw this as a foolhardy move that would Panthou/Heglig was not high on the agenda of almost certainly result in an intensification of actors within South Sudan, other than as part of hostilities. Condemnations and calls for withdrawal the overall need for border demarcation. came from the UN, AU, EU and some individual The ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, countries worldwide. The President of the US in a which had been given the mandate to delimit the video-taped appeal asked South Sudan and Sudan borders of Abyei and was to constitute a final and to choose the road to peace. binding ruling, released its decision on 22 July 2009 stating that Heglig was not within the territory 1 April 2012 South Sudan Monitor Crisis on the border - contd While the humanitarian situation in South Sudan is currently bad – and expected to get worse at least of Abyei. With this came an assumption by many in the short term – giving up on development is not that if Heglig is not a part of the disputed area of the answer. The international community must be Abyei, and was not mentioned as part of other prepared to combine humanitarian and disputed areas, then it was part of Southern development instruments so that physical Kordofan State, Sudan. infrastructure and human capital can continue to With the recent occupation of Heglig, South Sudan increase despite the unstable context. A crucial was clearly stating that Heglig/Panthou is disputed part of this is the need to continue investing in and must be considered as such until the border is people’s capacities for peace, to resolve their demarcated. In another way, the occupation problems and to hold those to account who are proved to South Sudan, Sudan, and the responsible for their well-being. Otherwise there is international community that South Sudan will not a risk that South Sudan will get stuck in a sit idle while attacks on its territory continue. It perpetual cycle of conflict, poverty and showed that they can, and will, react. emergencies. South Sudan is a notoriously complex and fast- What does this mean for the changing context and it is often difficult to predict international community? what happens next. This was proved again in the lead-up to both the 2010 election and the 2011 With increased fear of a looming war and referendum when analysts across the world apprehensions of what will happen to the economy predicted war and violence, yet everything passed in the wake of the halt of oil production in South off peacefully. However, one fact is undisputed: Sudan, there is increasing uncertainty of what type building a peaceful and prosperous society in of support will be most appropriate from the South Sudan requires long-term thinking. If we international community in the foreseeable future. forget the past and assume that we are operating A UK International Development Committee report in an environment that has existed only since 9 on UK/DFID engagement in South Sudan on 12 July 2011, we will be unable to interpret the April 2012 states: narrative from which current decisions are being “Given the mounting humanitarian made, and from which public reactions emerge. challenges, we recognise that the There are still many issues to be resolved between Sudan and South Sudan and in the current climate Department may need to continue to it is difficult to see how progress can be made. But modify its development plans and the international community can still play an focus to a greater extent on important role in facilitating and supporting space humanitarian assistance. The key for solutions to be found. And the better the history and nuances of the current situation are priority in South Sudan must be to understood, the more effective that support is likely prevent a humanitarian crisis. But, if to be. the country is to develop, it will need to invest in health, education and infrastructure.”1 South Sudan Monitor is looking for South Sudan: Prospects for Peace and Development. your feedback! Language about development often depicts a One year on from the first South Sudan vehicle, with the wheels of development ever Monitor we are evaluating how effective it propelling forward, though slowly. While is at sharing our commentary and humanitarian concerns must be addressed, if analysis on emerging peace and security longer-term development considerations are issues. neglected, then rather than the vehicle of development being propelled forward, we will have Your views are very important to us and a vehicle stuck in the mud, spinning its tyres. The we would be very grateful if you would longer the tyres spin, the further the vehicle sinks help us improve the newsletter by taking into the mud, and the more difficult it is to get out five minutes to complete a short survey. and move forward. Please go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/PYZDVYM to share your opinions. 1 South Sudan: Prospects for Peace and Development, (House of Commons International Development Committee, 12/4/2012), p 3. 2 April 2012 South Sudan Monitor pressured to compromise heavily on Heglig in Word on the street order to compensate for the fact that the north had lost most of its oil in the separation with South Opinion piece Sudan. It has been emphasised that the border is not yet demarcated, and that statements attributing Heglig, located in the Muglad basin along the Heglig to Sudan are not correct. contested border between South Sudan and Sudan, contains significant oil reserves. It has been understood by many to be within Sudan because the northern regime managed to keep it under their authority during the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) period. South Sudanese have strong opinions on the recent events taking place within the troubled region, as has been evidence in the media in the past weeks. A few ‘public opinions’ are captured here. Many people, particularly within the international community, knew little about Heglig until it was captured by SPLA on 10 April 2012 under A man gestures at a market burnt in an air strike by the Sudanese apparently unclear circumstances. The SPLA air force in Rubkona near Bentiu, 23 April 2012. claimed that it was provoked by attacks occurring inside South Sudan and was chasing the Sudan The South Sudanese community expressed Armed Forces (SAF), capturing Heglig in the frustration that some statements by the process. By contrast, Sudan maintained that South international community seemed judgmental and Sudan invaded the land and their argument seems did not see this as an effective way of solving to have been supported due to the fact that South problems between two sovereign countries, Sudan started claiming the land as their own after perhaps doing more harm than good. the takeover. Similarly people are blaming the Government of People on the streets of Juba and other major South Sudan for the failure to educate the towns in South Sudan rejected the international international community about issues surrounding condemnation of the occupation of Heglig and Heglig and have been demanding the dismissal of protested that the international community was not Foreign Affairs Minister Hon. Nhial Deng Nhial for well informed about the situation on the ground. his inaction in this regard. The Vice President of Many maintained that Heglig was always in South South Sudan Riek Machar Teny admitted to the Sudan in accordance with the 1 January 1956 public that the government has handled diplomacy border and insisted that Sudan only attempted to around the issue of Heglig poorly – many believe bring Heglig administratively into Southern this has prompted the international community to Kordofan after oil was discovered in the area in the ‘support’ the claims of Sudan, who was very early 1980s. People are adamant that Heglig be effective in its international diplomacy on the brought back under the authority of South Sudan. invasion. The highly contested withdrawal of troops from Heglig by the President of South Sudan met Many believe that the claim over with sharp disapproval by the public in South Heglig was dropped during the CPA Sudan, and some question whether the decision made by the President was appropriate since it and interim period due to fears that it was not approved by South Sudan National would complicate the referendum Legislative Assembly.