Despite countless attempts by African leaders to negotiate a resolution between north and south over the current border

crisis, experts warn that Khartoum could face some major challenges following the souths split. Sudanese president Omar Hassan al-Bashir and president of the autonomous region of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Myardit agreed to continue Sudanese peace negotiation s following the souths independence. The announcement came during talks at the six-nation East African Inter-Governme ntal Authority on Development (IGAD) summit last week in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, which were aimed at resolving pending issues around the future of t he contested region of Abyei, demarcation of the common border areas, resource s haring, oil revenues and citizenship. If Khartoums relationship with South Sudan is not well managed then it could lead to a resumption of large-scale war, Africa researcher with Chatham House, Roger M iddleton told Witnessing Life. This could damage Khartoums attempts to normalise its international relations, cos t a huge amount and the National Congress Partys (NCPs) ability to deliver economi c growth to northerners would be compromised and hence their political legitimac y. IGAD, which was a key player in brokering the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that ended Sudans two decades long civil war, is among a series of negotia tions held by African leaders in recent months with the hopes of averting a new civil war in Sudan. However, a recent report by the International Crisis Group titled, Divisions in S udans Ruling Party and the Threat to the Countrys Future Stability, contends that a ccords like the 2005 CPA have failed to resolve the main factors driving chronic conflict in Sudan. Khartoums ruling NCP think they have the situation in Darfur under control and dis count the possibility of conflict in the transitional areas of Southern Kordofan and the Blue Nile, believing that those regions are divided, and their military forces are not an imminent threat to Khartoum now that the South is focused on other issues, Fouad Hikmat, International Crisis Groups African Union and Sudan Sen ior Adviser based in Nairobi told Witnessing Life. However, if the NCP remains committed to the partys goal of imposing an Arab-Islam ic identity on the rest of Sudan then a new south could emerge in the transitional areas of South Kordofan, Blue Nile and other marginalised areas leading to more violence unless Khartoum addresses their grievances by establishing a more incl usive government. Despite geographically located in the north, many in South Kordofan and Blue Nil e state sympathized with the souths quest for freedom. During the Sudanese civil war many fighters from Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile joined the souths Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM), the political wing of the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) in their fight against the centra l government in Khartoum. Analysts warn that current fighting in Southern Kordofan and ongoing attacks in western Sudans Darfur, may lead to indigenous uprisings from marginalised norther n provinces that feel their demand for greater autonomy will not be achieved pol itically after South Sudans partition. What were going to increasingly see in places like the Nuba Mountains is that some

of the old grievances that havent been addressed will re-surface because if they feel that the southern question is settled in the post July-era then theyll want to make their voices heard, Senior Fellow and Program Coordinator of African Secu rity Institutions at New York Universitys Center on International Cooperation, Dr . Alhaji Sarjoh Bah said in an interview with Witnessing Life. Of course this is happening in an environment that is highly militarised where th e consequences for the civilians is certainly bound to be high. Clashes between northern and southern forces have escalated in recent weeks in S outh Kordofan as well as in the highly disputed oil-rich region of Abyei, which the United Nations (UN) says has internally displaced thousands. During negotiations two weeks ago in Addis Ababa, Khartoums NCP expressed interes t in signing an agreement with the souths SPLM to resolve the conflict in South K ordofan state but talks later broke down after accusations started flying from b oth sides. Although leaders of the SPLM-dominated government of South Sudan (GoSS) has expr essed an eagerness to focus on development rather than engaging in another war w ith Khartoum post-secession, analysts say that the south could indirectly be dra wn into conflict. South Kordofan and Blue Nile state is of course home to a strong, militarized pro -SPLM community, which is resisting and fighting for political autonomy, Acting S udan Human Security Baseline Assessment project manager, Emile LeBrun told Witne ssing Life. We might certainly see the GoSS SPLA supporting its allies in South Kordofan and B lue Nile post-secession, adds Le Brun. At times both the northern and southern gove rnments have armed communities either because they didnt want to commit armed for ces there, or in order to create and maintain proxies.