History Of Sudan And South Sudan

Historical Background
South Sudan’s battle for independence stems back from the era of British Imperialism. Fighting to remain and gain their independence since the late 1800’s, Sudan finally became fully independent in 1956, freeing itself from combined Egyptian-British rule. A poorly assembled constitution began the long history of violence that continues to define Sudan and South Sudan today. The constitution ignored several essential issues that divided the country. The first issue being the state religion; whether Sudan would be and Islamic state or if it would remain secular. With the northern part of Sudan being comprised mostly of Muslims and the south being predominantly Christians and animists, this division quickly erupted into the first of 2 major civil wars. Between 1955 and 1972, southern fighters, called the Anya Nya, clashed with the mostly the Arab-led government over southern autonomy. Gaining control over a large portion of southern Sudan by 1960 and merging forces with the Southern Sudan Liberation Movement by 1971, the government of Sudan and the SSLM signed the Addis Ababa Agreement, giving southern Sudan greatly increased autonomy. The agreement also said that the Abyei region, which is on the boarder of the north and south, was allowed to vote which region it would be a part of.
The second civil war began in 1983 when the government of Sudan instituted Shari’ ah in the Abyei region and retracted the part of the Addis Ababa Agreement which allowed the Abyei region to vote on its status in regards to it being considered in southern or northern Sudan. This fighting lasted until 1989, when a peace agreement was reached between the Sudanese government and the SSLM. Combat resumed, however, when the Sudanese g...

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...tempt to change their image globally of worrying only about the money they have invested in developing countries and not being concerned with who is in charge of those countries, or the human rights abuses that are a result. Secondly, China has large interests in Sudanese oil. Beginning a relationship with Sudanese oil production in the mid-90’s, China has continued to making growing investments in Sudanese oil every years since. Importing up to 80% of South Sudan’s oil exports every year, China has money to lose as the fighting continues, and even more money to gain should South Sudan regain its stability. With China’s tight grip on the Sudanese oil market, it could make it difficult for the U.S. to benefit from increased investment in South Sudan, and the U.S. could even be inadvertently aiding China’s financial gains from South Sudan.
U.S. Policy Advisement