Sudan Post-Colonialism and its Struggles
Between 1820 and 1956, Sudan was colonized by name empires; however, the one that left a legacy still visible today was that of the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium. Like most other European colonies, the British took license drawing borders around territories with little regard for the ethnicities living in the region. The new borders created by the British in Southern Sudan supported and isolated the many different tribes located there. As a result, these groups began warring with each other, and the British were reluctant to intervene. The wretched state of Sudan today can be attributed to the legacy of the British rule and the ethnic rivalries they left in their wake.
The reality of the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium was that that the Egyptians had very little influence over what happened in Sudan; the British took control over Sudan’s government and policies. In 1978, Francis M. Deng, a Human Rights officer who served for the United Nations Secretariat from 1967 to 1972, described the rule of the Condominium as a “British rule with Egypt as a rubber-stamp half.” The Egyptians had considerable power by law, but actually had little to no power over Sudanese affairs; all internal Sudanese affairs were controlled and monitored by Great Britain. The British had control over many other colonies at the time, and so they could not pay as much attention to the Sudanese. They ruled Sudan through the use of the “divide-and-rule policy.” This allowed the British to draw new borders around several provinces within Sudan, isolating and separating the different tribes thriving on the land. As a result, the Sudanese populous distrusted and fought each other. But, this worked in Great Britain’s favor because...
... middle of paper ...
... HDI had always been low in comparison to those of other countries: as of 2012, Sudan has an HDI of .414, which is low compared to well-off countries such as Norway with its HDI at .955. Their low HDI number is due to many reasons, one being that war had displaced many Southern Sudanese citizens, leaving them to reside in refugee camps with its less than satisfactory sanitary conditions. WRITE MORE ABOUT ITS UNSANITARY CONDITIONS. As a result, masses of Southern Sudanese people are moving up north and to Ethiopia in search for better living conditions. The situation in Sudan has gotten so bad that many of its citizens no longer wish to live there.
Sudan today is a broken-up country riddled with many problems ranging from discontent with the government to famines and diseases because of the lasting effects of its colonization under the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium.
Sudan, which is located in northeast Africa, is ranked number 190 based on the amount of migrants per thousand people with a total of -4.44 migrants per thousand people. For roughly 12 years (from 2001-2013), Sudan has faced many challenges that push it’s people out of the land and pull them towards other places. These factors are known as push and pull factors. Even though there are many challenges that come with immigration, the results are more rewarding than what they would have been in Sudan. After migrating out of Sudan, these Sudanese migrants also face long-term consequences because of their decision to move.
Egypt has the Suez Canal, which is the fastest route to India and Australia, within it. The Suez was very important to Britain. Guarding the canal became a critical part of Britain’s foreign policy. Therefore, when fighting broke out in 1882, Britain took over the area and turned Egypt into a protectorate. Next the British turned their attention to Sudan. Water from the Nile River was essential to the people of Egypt. The British believed that they had to control the headwaters of the Nile to guard Egypt and the canal. Thus, in 1898 Britain conquered Sudan and made it a condominium.
...d viewed independence as the British keeping their rule through their Arab colleagues. Continuous Sudanese governments have failed or been reluctant to change the inequalities brought on by colonialism in the nation and therefore discrimination is being exposed in Sudan.
"The wind of change is blowing through this [African] continent, and whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact. We must all accept it as a fact, and our national policies must take account of it" (Macmillan). This speech, made by the prime minister of England in 1960, highlights the vast changes occurring in Africa at the time. Changes came quickly. Over the next several years, forty-seven African countries attained independence from colonial rule. Many circumstances and events had and were occurring that led to the changes to which he was referring. The decolonization of Africa occurred over time, for a variety of complex reasons, but can be broken down into two major contributing factors: vast changes brought about in the world because of World War II and a growing sense of African nationalism.
Simmons, Melinda and Amanda Price. “British Imperialism of Egypt.” British Imperialism of Egypt and the Sudan. 4 March 1998. 29 January 2010. .
After the withdraw of Egypt and Britain, Sudan has been run by a number rickety / unstable government groups and milit...
A. Adu Boahen's African Perspectives on Colonialism neatly classifies African responses to European colonialism during both phases of invasion and occupation during the 19th century with precise labels according to their nature or time period. However, the reactions can also be loosely grouped into two diametric characterizations: peaceful and violent. Although creating this dichotomy seems a gross generalization and oversimplification of the colonial African experience, it more importantly allows for a different perspective- one that exposes the overwhelming success of the typically peaceful or pacifist reaction in contrast to the little gain and large losses of the violent response.
However, these expansions interfered with the rights of overseas citizens, and caused a series of conflicts to prevail. While colonial inhabitants were politically, economically, and socially unstable, imperialist forces competed for leadership. Competition among European nations divided the regions. War was on the horizon for countries like Germany and France who sought after the same region, Morocco. Similarly, both Britain and France desired the territory of Sudan, while Russia and Austria-Hungary battled for the Balkans, evidently intensifying rivalries, and possibly leading to war.
Before the Europeans began the New Imperialism in Africa, very little was known about the inner parts of the continent. However, after some explorers delved deeper into the heart of Africa, the Europeans soon realized how economically important this area was, and how much they could profit from it. At the time, Britain had only small occupations of land in Africa, but after they realized that they could make money from the rich resources from the inner regions of Africa, they wanted to invade the African countries and take over. This led to the scramble and ultimately, the partition of Africa. During the Age of Imperialism, from 1870-1914, Britain was a major country, which proved to be true in the “carving up” and division of Africa. Britain was one of the strongest of the European countries, and had the power to take over much of the most valuable lands with the most rich and abundant supplies of raw materials and other resources. There were five main reasons for their imperialism. They were political and military interests, humanitarian and religious goals, ideological, exploratory, and lastly, but most importantly, economic interests.
Tadesse, Debay. Post-independence South Sudan: the challenges ahead. ISPI-ISTITUTO PER GU STUDI DI POLITICA INTERNAZIONALE. February 2012.no.46.
As the Europeans started to invade Africa and split up the land, they paid no attention to the already existing natural boundaries. Over time, villages with different cultures had set these boundaries. The Europeans ignored these invisible borders as they invaded. This caused soci...
... and trying to make them cooperate was the biggest flaw of the British colonialism. Then when that didn’t work out, the British developed the North far more than the South, thus creating resentment in the South. With the end of colonialism the British left a nation that was unstable politically and culturally. The region, culture, language, and historical differences between the South and North leads to two civil wars for independence. Which further leads into an ethnic conflict in South Sudan. If no action is taken to bring peace between the two. There is a threat of those ethnicity fighting over resources, which could then potentially lead into a territorial conflict. And if South Sudan further divides there could be a possibility of a power vacuum happening, creating more chaos. All it takes is a single spark to trigger a series of unfortunate events.
The process of decolonization in Africa during the 1950’s through the 1970’s was a very smart yet risky idea. For some places independence was easily gained yet in other areas it was a battle. During the time periods where colonization existed, Africa was peaceful and kept things in order. People had control over their specific locations and there were no questions to be asked. Once it was decided to remove these rights, things got out of hand rather quickly. Violence was a main occurrence during the decolonization timeframe because rules, rights, leaderships, etc. got altered and drastically changed. Sometimes nonviolence was used but it usually wasn’t as effective. A major example of using nonviolence actions to gain independence is when Gandhi protested in India. African leaders have tried very hard to lessen the influence of Western powers and the broader international community but they’ve never been completely successful because they continuously needed support in state building, economic development, and public health initiatives.
An overwhelming majority of African nations has reclaimed their independence from their European mother countries. This did not stop the Europeans from leaving a permanent mark on the continent however. European colonialism has shaped modern-day Africa, a considerable amount for the worse, but also some for the better. Including these positive and negative effects, colonialism has also touched much of Africa’s history and culture especially in recent years.
The craftiness of colonialism on Africa changed its history forever but there were good and bad effects because they built schools and improved medical care but they also had segregated benefits and resource drainage.