An interview with Paul Murphy, former Chief of Party, Sudan Peace Fund

By Traer Sunley, Vice President Communications

When did you begin your association with Sudan?

My association with Sudan goes back to early 1989 when I went to work for an Irish-based NGO, Concern, which was running two camps for displaced persons (IDPs) in Muglad and Babanusa (Kordofan). The camps were set up to assist people fleeing from northern Bhar el Ghazal and Upper Nile regions in the south, where a severe famine had forced hundreds of thousands to leave their homes and cross through the hazardous lines of conflict.

The two towns were deeply sensitive areas, close to the supposed north/south border and situated on the railway line that served as one of the main routes connecting the north to the south. The relationship between the displaced people and elements from the resident communities was hostile. The people were so in fear of militia attacks that they dug holes in the ground under their shelters in the camps to be below the line of fire when they slept at night. In 1989 Muglad and Babanusa were also the main focus for the northern sector's UN-sponsored humanitarian access program, Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS).

Little did I realize at the time that this was to be a profound learning experience that informed me for years afterwards. In a very concentrated fashion, I was exposed to many of the complexities of Sudan's civil war, including the realities facing uprooted communities and the dynamics and contradictions of providing humanitarian assistance in situations close to conflict. During the 18 months I worked in the camps we were able to voluntarily repatriate many people back to their homes in the south. The closure of a settlement is generally much more problematic than opening one. For repatriation to take place while a war is still going on is especially unusual. But, at the time, areas in Bhar el Ghazal were stable enough to allow people to return, and the routes were proven to be relatively safe. Up to 40,000 people opted to take advantage of the return migration, providentially without drawing harmful attention.

Where were you in the early 90s when the split in the SPLA took place?

In 1993 I had an opportunity to engage with OLS in the south, which was under opposition control. My assignment was to introduce a capacity building strategy for the southern sector UN program. This was relatively unfamiliar territory in the humanitarian sector then and proved challenging. At first people assumed I had a magic checkbook, which of course I didn't. At the time the atmosphere was very tense between the major actors, and space to develop more progressive policies and practice was limiting. Trust had broken down between the southern Sudanese authorities (SPLA) and the aid community. The SPLA, which had been operating military bases out of Ethiopia, was coping with the fall of the Mengistou regime and an internal (failed) coup that caused a factional split.

Eventually, after engaging in various ways with the first southern Sudanese NGOs, the humanitarian wings of the rebel movements, and the international aid community, progress was made. It was a time of introspection for the rebel movements, especially for the breakaway SPLM/A, and the beginning of a shift towards a more open society in the south. Advances were made within and between the humanitarian wings of the respective movements (then called SRRA and RASS). A high point was a joint declaration made between SRRA and RASS-the first formal joint initiative since the 1991 attempted coup and factional split in the rebel organization. Steadily, over time, an improved environment came about, leading to greater engagement between local and Sudanese actors around capacity building, humanitarian principles, governance, and the longer-term needs and aspirations of the southern people in general. It was a fascinating time to be around.

Shortly after that, I went back to school to do a masters degree in development and policy administration at the University of Manchester (UK). It was time to take a break and tidy up my mind a bit. I returned to Concern to work with a rural development program in Tanzania and to develop a new strategy for the country program. Then, almost by accident, I returned to Sudan when my wife took a job based in Nairobi in 1997. I re-engaged with a number of local organizations and developed a particular interest in the Nuba Mountains area of central Sudan. Since the beginning of the civil war in 1983, the government had prohibited the Nuba access to international assistance. The civil population on the rebel side of the conflict had been neglected and was effectively surrounded by their adversaries. After a series of visits, I was able to assist in getting an advocacy campaign underway to open humanitarian access to the area. I also assisted with a number of food security activities.

In 1998 Concern persuaded me to reopen its program in southern Sudan and Somalia. When I took up the task I thought I would be able to promote more development-oriented work, but sadly, another food crisis hit the south and I realized that we had to address the famine. At that time NGOs could opt to work either under the UN umbrella OLS or outside the system, effectively without the government of Sudan's acknowledgement. I saw advantages to working independently but in coordination with the UN system. During the crisis Concern played a very active role and eventually ended up working at the epicenter of the crisis in a place called Ajeip, which had recorded alarmingly high deaths. To meet a shortfall in locally available staff, we quickly recruited a large team of Sudanese from Kenya. Concern identified three priority areas to intervene in: the specialist field of adolescence and adult nutrition, public health/sanitation management, and improved relationships between local authority institutions and the international agencies working there (a burning issue at the time).

After spending another 18 months with an NGO, I decided to work independently again and returned to working with local organizations in capacity building. From 2000 onwards I began specializing more in peace related issues: assisting international partners to the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in planning for a future peace and with local organizations, like the New Sudan Council of Churches, which were spearheading conflict resolution at the grassroots level. Nuba acquired a special profile at the start of the present peace process after US Senator Danforth made access to Nuba a "test" of the will of the parties to be serious about a future peace negotiation process.

When did you begin working with Pact?

I joined Pact in October 2002 to head a new grassroots reconciliation project funded by USAID (and, later, other donors), called the Sudan Peace Fund. We immediately began by mapping out conflict priorities in as many areas as possible in order to identify actions that would bring about improved stability and encourage people to begin to disentangle the causes and consequences of conflict. Quickly, the program took shape and began to converge on key issues in all of the regions of the south. A year later the program is focusing on priority cluster areas throughout the south, which, if they benefit from stability at the local level will collectively have a high impact at the national level.

How sanguine are you that the peace will hold?

It's going to take time, of course. The British, the US, the Norwegians and the Italians have all been focusing at the political level, but the peace process has to quickly be understood in a more holistic fashion and the concerns and participation of the general public will need prominence and inclusion. Many are nervous that the conditions for a peace are being brokered by elites; we hope over time that gap can be filled so that the grassroots can articulate their opinions and preferences. Everyone is deeply tired of war and wants an agreement, but in the end the people of southern Sudan have a clear understanding of their predicament and where they want to go. The promise of a peace agreement is really only the start of what will be a protracted peace process that is expected to conclude with the southerners voting on whether they remain with the country Sudan, or secede. In the meantime, the challenges ahead are monumental-beyond what most can even imagine. Trust has been broken and every family has been affected one way or another. It's almost like building a new country from scratch.

I am glad to say that Pact is gearing up to make a significant contribution to the expected transition from war to peace, especially by supporting the healing and reconciliation process among Sudanese communities through local organizations. Pact will also contribute to the southern Sudanese challenge of developing an appropriate governance systems for the south. Everything may be very fragile, but at the end of the day, I am confident the Sudanese themselves will pull through and create conditions for the next generation to enjoy. They are remarkable survivors.