It bordered egypt and libya to the north, as well as seven other nations to its east, west, and south. Hilde johnson, the former united nations mission head in south sudan and author of a new book on the countrys descent into violence since its founding in 2011, came to ipi on october 5 to describe in harrowing detail the circumstances of the fledging states convulsive first five years and to lay responsibility on the very people who embodied its promise five years ago. A history of south sudan south sudan is the worlds youngest independent country. Ending south sudans civil war council on foreign relations. Salva was born in a rural village in southwestern sudan to the dinka tribe. The northsouth conflict in historical perspective girma kebbede. Institute of peace, june 2011, filesresourcessr278. It lasted for 22 years and is one of the longest civil wars on record. South sudans civil war, which began in december 20, continued in 2016 with serious abuses against civilians by both government forces and opposition fighters despite a peace agreement signed. In the first booklength study of the south sudan civil war, john young draws on his close but. Although it originated in southern sudan, the civil war spread to the nuba mountains and the blue nile. Young tells a sad story about sudan and south sudan, about human nature and american. In countries experiencing conflict and upheaval such as yemen, syria, nigeria, south sudan, the central african republic, the democratic republic of congo and iraq, unicef protects children from military conscription, works to stop trafficking and helps child soldiers reintegrate into their communities.
A selection of the most viewed stories this week on the monitors website. At 11 years old, the sudanese civil war reached his village and separated salva from his family. At this particular moment, the main parties involved in the ongoing civil war are troops of president salva kiir representing the government and the opposing forces are of former vice president machar. Conflict in south sudan and the challenges ahead congressional research service 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. The strength of the narrative is in trying to provide nuance. On october 4, the africa security initiative, part of the brookings center for 21st century security and intelligence, hosted an event focused on south sudan and hilde f. Inside south sudans civil war jump to media player the bbc gains rare access to the worlds youngest nation, torn apart by five years of civil war. A rare look at both sides of the civil war france 24 english. Decades of civil war before south sudan became a nation in 2011 and continuing to the present have left it one of the poorest countries in the world. An ongoing civil war in south sudan has left children and teens especially vulnerable. Journalist nick turse traveled to the worlds newest country to report on the issue for a.
South sudans civil war killed almost 400,000 people. Even as sudan achieved independence from britain in 1956, civil war was already brewing between the north and the south. South sudan simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wracked by conflict, the young nation hasnt yet been able to provide its people the basics of adequate healthcare, education, and income opportunities.
Self determination and national unity francis mading deng, 2010. Season of migration to the north by tayeb salih the first book to spring to mind when people think of sudanese. 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. The process leading to independence was driven by the sudan peoples liberation movement, a primarily southern rebel force and political movement intent on bringing about the reformed unity of the whole sudan. Peace process in jeopardy as tensions rise in south sudan. Until recently sudanese literature both south sudanese and from the republic of the sudan was in the form of oral stories and narrative poems. Pdf south sudan gaining independence in july 2011 became a. South sudan, as a result of tribal and political conflict, is a country in name only. The level of foreign greed in south sudan is unprecedented. By march 2014, peace talks stalled and the humanitarian situation in south sudan remained dire, with signs of worsening. It was largely a continuation of the first sudanese civil war of 1955 to 1972. Most commentators have attributed the countrys recurring civil war either to an ageold racial divide between arabs and africans, or to recent colonially constructed inequalities.
South sudan gained independence from sudan on 9 july 2011 as the outcome of a 2005 agreement that ended africas longestrunning civil war. After the first sudanese civil war, the southern sudan autonomous region was formed in 1972 and lasted until 1983. How south sudans civil war has impacted children and. Geographically, south sudan is not part of the sudan region at all the sahel, forming as it does part of subsaharan africa. It is an outsiders view and will no doubt, given the complexity of south sudan, be full of gaps and generalisations. South sudan marks 5 years of vicious civil war abc news. In 2017, south sudans civil war entered its fourth year, spreading across the country with new fighting in greater upper nile, western bahr al ghazal, and the equatorias, featuring highly. In the first book length 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. Womens horror rape stories in south sudans bentiu al.
The anyanya guerrilla forces spread the war throughout the southern region. Before south sudan gained independence in 2011, sudan was the largest country on the african continent. South sudan marks 5 years of vicious civil war more than 4 million people have been uprooted by the bloodletting, the majority of whom are children, according to. Machar denied trying to start a coup and fled to lead the splm in opposition splmio.
It soon proved to be a disaster for the population, a threat to the integrity of the worlds youngest state and an embarrassment and. This informational text explains the causes and consequences of the civil wars in. Years of international efforts to bring an end to decades of conflict by helping to negotiate the comprehensive peace agreement of 2005 and later efforts to ensure a smooth. Displaced south sudanese in bentiu, south sudan, last year. In this book, she provides an unparalleled insiders account of south sudans descent from the ecstatic celebrations of july 2011 to the outbreak of the disastrous. The history of south sudan comprises the history of the territory of presentday south sudan and the peoples inhabiting the region south sudan seceded from the republic of sudan in 2011. Other minor rebel groups include the shilluk, bari, zande, balanda etc. In modern terminology, it does, however, include parts of the east sudanian savanna. Following its independence in 2011, three years of civil war have left south sudan on the cusp of fullscale genocide, with its sovereignty discredited by warring elites, asserts a new. An estimated 383,000 people have died as a result of south sudans civil war, according to a new report that documents the. This part of the british empire became the republic of sudan when independence was achieved in 1956. In july 2011 the republic of south sudan achieved independence, concluding what had been africas longest running civil war. The reprioritisation of its mandated tasks has essentially divided the country in two for the beleaguered unmiss.
The south sudanese civil war was a conflict in south sudan between forces of the government and opposition forces. Sudans postindependence history has been dominated by political and civil strife. After nearly three years of civil war, south sudan has ceased to perform. The bold recommendations made in ending south sudans civil war are anything but. Shortly after the second wave of data for this project was collected, south sudan descended into a brutal civil war, as described previously. The untold story from independence to the civil war. In july 2011, south sudan was granted independence and became the worlds newest country. The untold story from independence to civil war johnson, hilde f. A brief history of the civil war in south sudan comboni. In south sudan there are a total of 64 different ethnic groups. Army coups in 1958 and 1969 plus civil war impeded attempts to build a. Meanwhile, here are some of the best books about sudan available in english. The brutal civil war in south sudan is now well into its fourth year and shows no sign of ending. But the responsibility for the civil war, its escalation and the current mess we are in, rests with the two leaders.
Since south sudan s official language is english, and it is also one of the republics official languages, western literature was influential for sudanese writers. Kate almquist knopf ending south sudan s civil war. The new civil war in south sudan began in december 20. The second sudanese civil war was a conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central sudanese government and the sudan peoples liberation army. What is now south sudan was once part of the angloegyptian sudan. Established in 2011 after two wars, south sudan has since reverted to a state of devastating civil strife.
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