Hilde Frafjord Johnson played a pivotal role in the achievement of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement for Sudan (2005), and served as Norwegian Development Minister, 1997–2000 and 2001–2005. On July 9 2011, she was appointed as Special Representative of the Secretary General of the UN (SRSG) in South Sudan, in support of the new independent country. Prior, she was the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF.

The Inside Story of the Negotiations That Ended Africa’s Longest Civil War

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sudan is at a crossroads. After the referendum, the country can face one of the first partitions of an African state since the colonial era.

Waging Peace in Sudan shows how the longest civil war in Africa was finally brought to an end. The agreement between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement and Army (SPLM/A) was achieved with the intense engagement of the ‘Troika’ of the U.S., U.K., and Norway.

Norwegian Minister of International Development Hilde F. Johnson had unique access to the parties and played an instrumental role in the negotiations. As former Secretary General of the UN, Kofi Annan, says in the Foreword of the book, Hilde stands out for her tireless efforts to help bring the protagonists together.

Waging Peace in Sudan describes this process from a unique, insider perspective. As Sudan faces the most decisive period in its history, this book is indispensable reading.

FOREWORD by Kofi Annan

It is a sad truth that waging peace is always much harder than waging war. Fortunately, it is infinitely more rewarding. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended Sudan’s second civil war in 2005 took almost three years to mature and would never have been signed had it not been for the dedication of a small number of individuals from Sudan and the broader international community. Amongst the latter, Hilde F. Johnson, at the time Norway’s Minister for International Development and now the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, stands out for her tireless efforts to help bring the protagonists together.

This book is Hilde’s inside account of how the two parties to Africa’s longest running civil war, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) and the ruling National Congress Party (NCP), negotiated an end to over 20 years of bloodshed. Profiting from her unique access to both the SPLM/A’s late leader John Garang as well as Ali Osman Taha, Sudan’s First Vice President, she takes us on a fascinating journey from the beginning of the talks in Nairobi to the signing of the 260 page agreement in Naivasha over 16 months later. This journey is as full of deep insight into the political dynamics of Northern and Southern Sudan as of compelling conclusions on the mechanics of mediation and the need for forceful engagement by the international community.

For almost two decades Sudan’s North-South conflict was one of those complex, intractable problems that seemed beyond solution unless the larger policy environment were to change dramatically. As Hilde points out, the tragic events of September 11, 2001 resulted in just such a change and provided the impetus for the CPA. Without the sense of urgency that the images of crashing planes and falling towers created, it is highly unlikely that the governing elite in Khartoum would have agreed to the necessary compromises. But as helpful as the external dynamics were to the negotiations, their very indispensability also serves to highlight the scale of internal deadlock within Sudan. The sluggish and problem-fraught implementation of the CPA over the last five years has shown that this problem remains and may even grow as the critical referendum on the future of Southern Sudan gets under way. The need to wage peace in Sudan is thus as great as ever and this book is indispensable reading for anyone involved in, or wanting to know more about, how this is done.

THE AUTHOR

Hilde Frafjord Johnson, a key player in brokering the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in Sudan, has many years of experience in high-level leadership, notably her two tenures as Minister for International Development of Norway. As minister, she helped build coalitions for reform and change in development and worked closely with G8-leaders and the leaders of many developing countries. She has in-depth knowledge of countries in crises and fragility, both from the political, humanitarian and development side and has worked extensively on peace building issues.

On July 9 2011, Hilde F. Johnson was appointed as Special Representative of the Secretary General of the UN (SRSG) in South Sudan, in support of the new independent country. Prior, she was the Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF and served in this position since August 2007. She served as Minister and member of the Norwegian government/cabinet in the period 1997-2000 and 2001-2005, and was Member of Parliament from 1993 to 2001.

As Minister, Hilde F. Johnson played a pivotal role in the peace process in Sudan, leading to the completion of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement in 2005. She has also engaged extensively in peace building efforts and post crisis-transition processes in relation to a number of countries in Africa, Asia and Central America, notably the Horn of Africa, Sudan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, Guatemala and the Great Lakes region.

A strong advocate for human rights, poverty eradication and reform of international aid, she has been actively involved in efforts to build coalitions for change, both of the UN, in the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs) and bilateral aid. In 1998, Ms. Johnson initiated the Utstein-group, a group of key like-minded development ministers from the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Norway. She worked closely with the senior leadership of the UN, the International Financial Institutions and the World Trade Organization (WTO) and leaders of developing countries, to bring about better pro-poor development policies. She has also served as Governor and member of the Board of the World Bank for Norway and the Nordic/Baltic Constituency.

Prior to joining UNICEF, she served as Senior Advisor to the President of the African Development Bank in charge of Fragile States policies. Ms. Johnson was the co-chair of the Global Coalition for Africa for several years. She was also a member of the High Level Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor led by Madeleine Albright and has served as a member of the Oxford University Taskforce on UK Energy, Development Assistance and Foreign Policy, led by Lord (Chris) Patten.

Born in Arusha, Tanzania, she earned a post-graduate degree at the University of Oslo in 1991, specializing in development anthropology.

PROMOTION VIDEO

CONTACT US

Email: mail@wagingpeaceinsudan.com

PRESS

Sudan unrest no surprise to peace broker visiting SIPA
The Morningside Post at Columbia University, 24 May 2011

Waging Peace in Sudan: Hilde Johnson launches book in Juba
Sudan Votes, 7 April 2011

"Waging Peace In Sudan" Book Launched In Juba
Gurtong, 26 March 2011

CPA Inside Story Published On Book
Sudan Catholic Radio Network, 25 March 2011

UNICEF Deputy Director launches a book in Juba
Radio Miraya, Fondation Hirondelle, 24 March 2011

How the guns were silenced: Hilde F. Johnson launches her book in Khartoum
Royal Norwegian Embassy in Khartoum, 21 March 2011

The Coming of a Nation
The East African, February/March 2011

Hilde F. Johnson, Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, on the Future of Sudan
Huffington Post, 23 February 2011

Waging Peace in Sudan – and What it Means for Development
Devex, 24 January 2011

Waging Peace in Sudan: The Inside Story of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Prospects for Sudan's Future
Brookings Institute, 8 January 2011

Hilde Johnson: "Waging Peace in Sudan More Important Than Ever"
International Peace Institute, 7 January 2011

Coverage in Norwegian press: Aftenposten, Verdens Gang, NRK TV, NRK Radio, TV2, Morgenbladet, Dagsavisen, Stavanger Aftenblad, Bergens Tidene, Vart Land, NTB