President George Bush has signed into law a measure designed to encourage the Sudanese government to agree a settlement to the country’s 20-year-old civil war. The Sudan Peace Act, which President Bush signed on October 21, 2002, authorizes the President to take steps against the Sudanese regime if he determines that it is not negotiating in good faith with rebel groups in the country’s south.

On October 15, the Sudanese government signed a ceasefire agreement with the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement, the main rebel group in the south. The latest round of peace talks has been underway in Kenya since earlier this year.

The new US measure condemns violations of human rights on all sides of the conflict, but makes particular mention of the Sudanese government’s poor human rights record, its support for militia forces engaged in slave raiding, and the bombing of civilian targets. If the President determines after six months that the government is not negotiating in good faith, the Act authorizes him to seek a UN Security Council resolution calling for an arms embargo against Sudan, and to take steps to deny the Sudanese government access to oil revenues. If the rebels are also judged not to be negotiating in good faith, these provisions are suspended.

The Act also directs the Secretary of State to collect information about actions committed by either side that may qualify as war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide, and to report on them at six-month intervals.

The Sudanese government has attacked the Sudan Peace Act, saying it will not contribute to the search for peace. "Why should such an act be issued at a time when we are negotiating and when we have overcome the major obstacles?" asked Sudan’s President, Omar al-Bashir, in a speech on October 18. "The objective of this act is to ensure that people in Sudan do not achieve peace."

Related chapters from Crimes of War: What the Public Should Know:

Civil War
Genocide
Indiscriminate Attack
Slavery

Related Links

Sudan Peace Act
A fact sheet from the US Department of State
October 21, 2002

Statement by the President on the Sudan Peace Act
White House Press Release
October 21, 2002

Sudanese President Says US Sudan Peace Act Meant to Thwart Peace Efforts
Sudan.Net
October 18, 2002

The Outlook for Peace in Sudan
Report from the President’s Special Envoy, John Danforth
April 26, 2002

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