Pdf south sudan struggle for independence, and its. Understanding the roots of conflict in south sudan. As its implementation faltered, violence between factions broke out again in july 2016, setting back the peace process once again. Learn about the civil war in south sudan, sanctions imposed by the united states and europe, and other recent developments on cfrs global conflict tracker. Yet just twoandahalf years after this momentous decision, the. South sudan gained independence from sudan on 9 july 2011 as the outcome of a 2005 agreement that ended africas longestrunning civil war. After years of conflict, a comprehensive peace agreement between the sudanese government and southern sudan is signed. Understanding the roots of conflict in south sudan council. In response, the government equipped and supported arab militiaswhich came. Institute of peace, june 2011, filesresourcessr278. The conflict began in 2003 when rebels launched an insurrection to protest what they contended was the sudanese governments disregard for the western region and its nonarab population. Yet in the past, oil production was linked with serious human rights abuses, such as forced displacement. In december 20, president kiir accused his former deputy riek machar and ten others of attempting a coup detat. The south sudanese civil war was a conflict in south sudan between forces of the government and opposition forces.
The conflict has been marked by the failure of the government of the republic of south sudan. Ending south sudans civil war council on foreign relations. Geographically, south sudan is not part of the sudan region at all the sahel, forming as it does part of subsaharan africa. At this time, however, egypt only controlled the northern portions, while the south was made up of independent tribes. Since its independence in 2011, south sudan is battling a new civil war. Her research and publications since 2001 have focused on the historical and contemporary role of chiefs in southern sudan, and related issues of governance, state.
The strength of the narrative is in trying to provide nuance. Learn more about the south sudan humanitarian crisis. The birth of the new country brought hope for a bright future. The history of south sudan comprises the history of the territory of presentday south sudan and the peoples inhabiting the region. Systemic conflict transformation a northern and a southern view. Most of the fledgling nation is in the grip of a humanitarian crisis fueled by years of chronic underdevelopment, conflict and natural disasters. With national elections slated for midapril, this is bashirs chance to be validated as a democratically elected leader. Since the split, sudan and south sudan s oil production has declined because of continued domestic political instability and conflict between the two countries. South sudan, civil war, power struggle, ethnic violence. South sudan became the youngest nation in the world after splitting from the larger sudan to become the republic of south sudan in 2011.
Sudan has a long history that begins with its being a collection of small kingdoms until egypt conquered the area in the early 1800s. Timeline with background information on the conflict in sudan. The conflicts between what is now sudan and south sudan are often understood through their historical roots. This report is an indepth analysis of the political economy of south sudan, and it critically assesses the development challenges since independence. South sudan marks its third anniversary of independence on wednesday engulfed by a worsening refugee crisis. In 1881, muhammad ibn abdalla, also known as mahdi, began a crusade to unify western and.
Pdf south sudan struggle for independence, and its implications. Ali, viceroy of egypt under the ottoman empire, the southern sudan was plundered for slaves. Sudan is africas largest country in geographical terms and has a population of around 40 million. The conflict between the northern and southern sudan has usually been misunderstood, because the historical roots of the conflict have been misrepresented.
South sudan conflict analysis brief south sudan, the worlds youngest nation, continues to struggle despite the august 2015 signature of a peace agreement. Republic of sudan and the new republic of south sudanor north and south sudan, for claritythe two countries were again in a state of war. South sudan, as a result of tribal and political conflict, is a country in name only. South sudans history at a glance concern worldwide. A human rights report united nations mission in south sudan. Solutions for moving beyond an ethnic conflict kuntzelman 83 cause of southern sudans current underdevelopment is rooted in this colonial history, as colonial preference was given to the arab regions of the north, where power and decisionmaking became centralized in the northern capital of khartoum. Understanding the roots of conflict in south sudan south sudan s civil war is the result of a weakly institutionalized state and may require the african unions intervention to find peace and. In mid2011, following south sudan s independence, conflict broke out between the government and the splmn in southern kordofan and blue nile states, sudan s two areas. Modern history of conflict in sudan pulitzer center. Brief history of south sudan water for south sudan. Two opposite explanations are frequently given for the continuing rift. South sudan was settled by many of its current ethnic groups during the 15th19th centuries. In july 2011, south sudan was granted independence and became the worlds newest country.
The report builds upon the unmiss interim report on human rights, released on 21 february. Protecting civilians in a volatile environment eli stamnes the united nations mission in the republic of south sudan unmiss was established by security council resolution 1996 on 8 july 2011, in order to support this fledging state in consolidating peace and security. South sudan is the worlds youngest independent country. After fighting in the northern states of south sudan among the nuer, the conflict has moved to the southwest in the regions richer in water, fertile land and forests, i. Aug 06, 2018 south sudan gained independence from sudan on 9 july 2011 as the outcome of a 2005 agreement that ended africas longestrunning civil war.
Pdf a brief history of the conflict in sudan 49 abdellah. Since the eruption of the armed conflict in the south sudan, the splma leadership remained in the hands of the former chairman late dr. Making it a benefit for all executive summary executive summary oil production is the key factor in the development of south sudan, since july 2011 the worlds newest independent country. Small arms survey hsba working paper 8 schomerus the lords resistance army in sudan abstract the ongoing peace talks between the government of uganda and the lords resistance armymovement lram in juba, the capital of south sudan, have created renewed international interest in the conflict in northern uganda. The second sudan war 19832005 ended with the independence of.
Since the split, sudan and south sudans oil production has declined because of continued domestic political instability and conflict between the two countries. External actors should push the adversaries to make progress on these matters before entering any powersharing arrangement lest war erupt once more. However, their independence, like that of other countries in the world, came with a huge human cost following decades of intense conflict between the arab north and the nonarab south. The united nations mission in the republic of south sudan unmiss. South sudan s conflict parties are supposed to form a unity government by 12 november.
South sudan, the worlds youngest nation, continues to struggle despite the august 2015 signature of a peace agreement. For almost three years, the equatoria region in south sudan had been spared from the conflict that exploded in 20. Conflict in south sudan and the challenges ahead congressional research service 1 background south sudan emerged in 2011 as the worlds newest country, and one of its least developed. South sudan, the worlds newest nation, was once a sizeable part of sudan, the country to its north. A separate conflict that remained unresolved centred on the darfur region in western sudan. United nations mission in the republic of south sudan unmiss since the outbreak of the conflict on 15 december. Summary south sudan, which separated from sudan in 2011 after almost 40 years of civil war, was drawn into a devastating new conflict in late 20, when a political dispute that overlapped with preexisting ethnic and political fault lines turned violent. More than a million people have been internally displaced and 400,000 have fled the. Made up of the 10 southernmost states of sudan, south. Conflict profile, causes, actors and dynamics tethloach ruey doctoral thesis dissertation politics international politics topic. The unified sudan began producing oil in 1999, and as a result, the country tripled its per capita. It is an outsiders view and will no doubt, given the complexity of south sudan, be full of gaps and generalisations. Relations with sudan united states department of state.
Take a look at the timeline below for a peek into the countrys history, from its violent split from sudan through to today. Geographically, south sudan is not part of the sudan region at all, forming as it does part of subsaharan africa. This introductory essay to the online selection of african affairs articles documents and analyses this phenomenon. The seeds of south sudans return to violent conflict in december 20 were sown long before the. Machar denied trying to start a coup and fled to lead the splm in opposition splmio. The ongoing conflict has severely affected or displaced more than 1. South sudan, officially the republic of south sudan and previously known as southern sudan, is a landlocked country in eastcentral africa that is part of the united nations subregion of eastern africa.
The history of sudan includes that of both the territory that composes republic of the sudan, south sudan as well as that of a larger region known by the term sudan. South sudan became an independent nation on july 9, 2011. South sudan gained independence from sudan in july 2011 after decades of war. There are many causes for the conflict in south sudan, ranging from ethnic tensions, management of oil resources and the power struggle between president salva kiir and opposition leader dr. Peace and conflict studies, security publish your bachelors or masters thesis, dissertation, term paper or essay. However, the government did not address impunity for widespread conflict related sexual and genderbased violence against south sudanese. Global south development magazines global development reporter mr. South sudan seceded from the republic of sudan in 2011. Apr 12, 2010 the destabilization campaign of the south coupled with the upswing of the regimes military operations in darfur comes at what could become the bloodiest addition to sudan s history. The cessation of the south was as a result of a referendum organized there in 2011. The conflict has been marked by the failure of the government of the.
On 30 june 1989, the revolutionary command council for national salvation, rccns sudan led by brigadier general omar albashir, took over power. In the first booklength study of the south sudan civil war, john young draws on his close but critical relationship with the rebel splmio leadership to reveal the true dynamics of the conflict, and exposes how the south sudanese state was in crisis long before the outbreak of war. Civil war breaks out in the predominately christian. First civil war begins between the south and north. Key characteristics of the economy south sudan s dependence on subsistence agriculture and food aid indicates that the countrys present economic state is extremely poor. South sudan did not make progress on establishing the. In modern terminology, it does, however, include parts of the east sudanian savanna. The lack of basic infrastructure, educated and skilled. Since sudan s modern borders were drawn up by the british last century, it. Jonglei is not the only south sudanese state wracked by cattle raids and tribal violence. Established in 2011 after two wars, south sudan has since reverted to a state of devastating civil strife. Sentry writes, the key catalyst of south sudans civil war has been competition for the.
The army vowed not to give up one inch of the soil of this homel and, and government of ficials rushed abroad. South sudan hasnt known peace since it became an independent nation in 2011. Years of international efforts to bring an end to decades of conflict by helping to negotiate the comprehensive peace agreement cpa of 2005 and the later. In december 20, that hope dimmed as the conflict broke out. With the south sudanese conflict in its fifth year in 2018, this paper seeks to not. Conflict profile since its independence in 1956, sudan has seen an intermittent civil war. Yet just twoandahalf years after this momentous decision, the country was in the grips of renewed civil war and political strife.
Her research and publications since 2001 have focused on the historical and contemporary role of chiefs in southern sudan, and related issues of governance, statesociety relations and political and judicial cultures. The breakthrough in the north south peace process has come at a time of escalating fighting in the farflung region of darfur. A brief history of the civil war in south sudan comboni. A brief history of modern sudan and south sudan south sudan, the worlds newest nation, was once a sizeable part of sudan, the country to its north. The united nations mission in the republic of south sudan. General abbud leads the first military coup against the civilian government. By the end of the 19th century the sudan was under britishegyptian rule. There is little need to repeat yet again this rather long history. May 17, 2017 this is the story of how sudan became two nations, and of an ongoing conflict in the nuba mountains that has changed the lives of millions of people.
A history of south sudan south sudan is the worlds youngest independent country. South sudans civil war is the result of a weakly institutionalized state and may require the african unions intervention to find peace and. Solutions for moving beyond an ethnic conflict kuntzelman 83 cause of southern sudan s current underdevelopment is rooted in this colonial history, as colonial preference was given to the arab regions of the north, where power and decisionmaking became centralized in. South sudan through an understanding of the historical narrative of the. Inadequate funding has been a big challenge, too, in facing the conflict. Conflict between 19551976 and 19832005 between the colonially modernised arab north and the underdeveloped christian and animist south brought widespread civilian suffering. This has seen south sudan ranked the highest on the world index of fragile states that can collapse anytime. A close association between social anthropology and policy is not new in south sudan. Fighting broke out between the sudan peoples liberation movement splm. It particularly focuses on the period after the august 2015 agreement for the resolution of. South sudan has been a country in turmoil since its formation.