The Sudans tells the story of the African Union's efforts to make peace in the Sudans during the years 2009 to 2013. It details the work of the AU High-Level Panel, led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki, to resolve the war in Darfur, promote democracy in Sudan, steer the independence of South Sudan, and make peace between Sudan and South Sudan. It was Africa's most ambitious peace-making effort.

Meticulously documenting every step, Alex de Waal and Willow Berridge show how Mbeki's team handled disputes over borders, resources, and citizenship, and channeled fractious international actors into a consensus. They document the panel's consultative, people-focused strategy in Darfur and its patient, unflagging mediation between north and south. Ultimately, however, the leaders of Sudan and South Sudan squandered opportunities to establish two viable, mutually supporting states, setting both countries on the path toward calamity.

Authoritative and clear-eyed, The Sudans pulls back the curtain on this pioneering effort, demonstrating the potential of African-led peacemaking.

Alex de Waal is Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Willow Berridge is Senior Lecturer in History at Newcastle University. She is a coauthor of Sudan's Unfinished Democracy.