'Five Myths about Sudan' in The <i>Washington Post</i>

Let there be no mistake, with unfree elections coming in April and a referendum on the independence of the South the following January, Sudan is at dire risk of returning to full-scale war.

Part of the problem, as I addressed in the Washington Post's Outlook section on Sunday, are the myths that persist about Sudan among policymakers, diplomats and the public.

Policymakers, in particular, must admit that if nothing changes before April, U.S. taxpayers will have spent nearly $100 million to support the election of an indicted war-criminal and legitimize the iron-fisted rule of one of the world's most oppressive regimes.

The crackdown by the National Congress Party, or NCP, earlier this month, involving the arrests of senior opposition politicians and the use of tear-gas on protesters, is yet another demonstration that the basic requirements of credible elections, including freedom of expression and assembly, have yet to be met.

In Stealing an Election in Slow Motion, Enough's new report released today, I outline the risks of ignoring electoral prerequisites and holding non-credible elections in Sudan.

John Prendergast is Co-Founder of Enough, the anti-genocide project at the Center for American Progress in Washington, D.C.