AFRICOM PAO note: The following article, by the U.S. Department of State, is provided for public awareness of U.S. policy in Africa. As a military organization, U.S. Africa Command does not lead U.S. foreign policy but instead supports policies articulated by elected civilian leaders. Washington — Despite being "very concerned about rising violence in southern Sudan," U.S. Special Envoy Scott Gration says he is optimistic about the future for the nation that saw Africa's longest civil war end five years ago with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Emphasizing that the U.S. goal in Sudan has always been "to save lives," Gration told journalists at a January 11 Foreign Press Center briefing in Washington that "peace remains incomplete" in Sudan as long as violence and lawlessness still abound in the south and in the Darfur region and 2.7 million displaced people remain homeless. Gration, who soon will make his 12th official visit to Sudan since President Obama named him special envoy 10 months ago, said, "Roughly 2,500 have been killed in a year [2009] in southern Sudan." He said all parties need to work together "to figure out the source of the guns, ammunition and equipment" and reduce them. Nevertheless, he told journalists in South Africa and at the New York Foreign Press Center via an interactive video feed, "I am optimistic because I've seen progress" in Sudan, especially in the implementation of the CPA, which ended the 17-year-long civil war between north and south. Since 2005, when the CPA was signed, the Khartoum government's National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement (SPLM), the main rebel movement in the south, "have made significant progress toward peace," Gration said. Among the accomplishments he cited were: northern troops pulling out of the south; a cease-fire that has "largely held"; the Government of National Unity, including southerners, formed in Khartoum; a regional government for southern Sudan created in Juba; and the parties reaching agreement on the border of the disputed area of Abeyi." On the economic front, "Oil wealth has been shared and historical grazing rights honored," Gration added. Gration touched on the "thawing of relations" between Chad and Sudan as an example of progress necessary for effective border monitoring needed to ensure stability and security in Darfur. The envoy also mentioned former South African President Thabo Mbeki, with whom he said he had been in contact the past 6–8 months and who heads a "high-level panel" working to ensure "accountability and justice," both important components to the national elections set for April. The European Union (EU) has also played a very important role in Sudan, Gration said, and "we encourage them to supply 300 election monitors." He said the United States was also working with the United Kingdom and Norway "for support to ensure the CPA is fully implemented." Gains have been made on implementation of the CPA, with the April elections as well as the 2011 self-determination referendum for south Sudan, the envoy said. "I believe the referendum will take place. I believe that right now I see political will, cooperation and continued commitment on both sides to have this take place." Though the CPA was facilitated, in part, by the United States, Gration said it was important to keep in mind that peace must be resolved by the Sudanese people themselves. "We have not forced any agreement. We have not forced the parties to make any commitments. What we've tried to do is outline the issues, to facilitate and help in any way we can … to create an environment" for all the parties in Sudan to formulate their own political solutions. The week before his press briefing, Gration joined Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton at a State Department ceremony commemorating the fifth anniversary of the signing of the CPA. Clinton drove home the point that the conflict in Darfur and the CPA "must be seen in tandem" and resolved before the CPA expires in July 2011, when a referendum will be held in the south on the question of autonomy. "The parties of Sudan cannot afford to delay, and there can be no backtracking on agreements already reached. The risks are too serious. Renewed conflict between north and south would prolong human suffering and threaten stability and peace throughout the greater region," Clinton said. Read the complete transcript at http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=3857&lang=0.