Sudan: Successful ceasefire monitoring in Southern Sudan

While fighting in Sudan’s western region of Darfur continues, the government of Sudan and opposition groups in the south are edging toward the end of a long civil war. Refugees International recently visited the Nuba Mountains of central Sudan where the Joint Monitoring Mission/Joint Military Commission (JMM/JMC), have successfully monitored the ceasefire for almost three years. The Nuba region covers an area of 80,000 square kilometers, about the same as South Carolina, and has a population of about 1.3 million. The population is increasing rapidly as more than 100,000 refugees and displaced persons have returned home in the last two years. The Nuba Mountains ceasefire has been a success. The Joint Military Commission might serve as a model for monitoring and peacekeeping missions in other parts of Sudan and in permissive areas and regions around the globe.