With seven months until the referendum in Sudan to determine whether or not the south remains part of a united Sudan, coupled with the recent increase of violence in Darfur, the country remains volatile and its future uncertain.  The United States and the international community - particularly the African Union and the United Nations - remain deeply involved in the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the preparations for the referendum.  As the countdown to this all-important vote begins, the Africa Program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the United States Institute of Peace are jointly hosting a discussion with two key leaders of the international effort to manage this difficult process in Sudan: former South African President Thabo Mbeki, now head of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (Sudan), and Haile Menkerios, the special representative of the U.N. secretary-general in Sudan and head of the United Nations Mission in Sudan.  They will discuss the current situation in Sudan and international efforts to achieve peace and ensure a smooth referendum process.

With:

• President Thabo Mbeki, Former President of South Africa
  Head of the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (Sudan)
• Haile Menkerios, Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General in Sudan
  Head of the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)

Introductory Remarks:

• Steve McDonald, Consulting Director
  Africa Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

Moderated by:

• David Smock, Vice President
  Center for Mediation & Conflict Resolution, U.S. Institute of Peace

Multimedia

• Watch a video from this event