Amidst growing international relief for the alleged downplay of the Darfur crisis to a “low intensity conflict”, the relations between Northern and Southern Sudan are increasingly strained.
The next general elections in April 2010 are more likely to threaten peace in the country than to bring the long-awaited democratization. Actually, the 2011 referendum on self-determination for Southern Sudan appears to stand out as the real issue at stake.
If held, it will surely cause the separation of the country, with lasting consequences for the Horn of Africa and the entire continent.