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The Republic of South Sudan in East Africa is the world's newest country (2011). It is the southern area of the Sudan with its capital at Juba. Independence followed several decades of civil war. The new country is bordered by Ethiopia (east), Kenya (southeast), Uganda (south), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (southwest), the Central African Republic (west), and of course Sudan (north). South Sudan includes the vast swamp region of the Sudd formed by the White Nile, locally called the Bahr al Jabal. The South Sudan was part of the British and Egyptian condominium of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan which became ibdependent as the Republic of the Sudan (1956). From the beginning, there were conflicts betwwen the Afruican south and the Arab north. These conflicts were deeply routed in history. Northern Arabs for centuries pursued the slave trade in the Aftican south. This led to the First Sudanese Civil War and the formation of the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region (1972-83). The Arabs contuinued the slave trade and use it to pursue pacification efforts. A second Sudanese civil war developed and only ended with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (2005). Part of that agreement was the restoration of southern autonomy. It also provided for a referendum to allow the people of southern Sudan to determine their political future. The southern Sudanses voted decisively for independence (2011). There are many difference between north and south, including religions, languages, ethnicity, food and traditions. The north is culturally Arab, but many are dark skinned. The south is African, divided into many different tribal groups, some of which are related. The principal tribal grouops are the Dinka (15 percent), the Nuer (10 percent), the Bari, and the Azande. The Shilluk have historically dominated an area along the White Nile. Linguistic similarities suggest a close relation to the Dinka and Nuer.
The northern Arabs are Muslim. The southern Africans are strongly Christian or traditional animists. There are also some southern Muslims.
The slave trade in the Sudan has ancient origins. There is until the 19th century, however, only limited information on the dimensions of the slave trade. Geography was an important factor. The Sudan is composed of two different regions. The largely African, equitorial south and a Saharan north. The Blue and White Niles join in Sudan to provide a water route north to the Mediterannean. This is the only watrer route through the vast Sahara Desert. It is importsant because it provided a route through which where African captives taken in the south could be readily marketed. Egypt itself was not a slave society, in part because the peasanty were basically serfs tied to the land. There were slaves in Egypt and other anient civilizations such as Greece and Rome. Unlike Egypt, these weee salave societies. And references to Nubians suggest that they enslaved in the Sudan or through Cushite slave markets.
The South Sudan was part of the British and Egyptian condominium of Anglo-Egyptian Sudan which became independent as the Republic of the Sudan (1956). From the beginning, there were conflicts betwwen the African south and the Arab north. These conflicts were deeply routed in history. Northern Arabs for centuries pursued the slave trade in the Aftican south. This led to the First Sudanese Civil War and the formation of the Southern Sudan Autonomous Region (1972-83). The Arabs contuinued the slave trade and use it to pursue pacification efforts. A second Sudanese civil war developed and only ended with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (2005). Part of that agreement was the restoration of southern autonomy. It also provided for a referendum to allow the people of southern Sudan to determine their political future. The Republic of South Sudan in East Africa is the world's newest country (2011). It is the southern area of the Sudan with its capital at Juba. Independence followed several decades of civil war. The southern Sudanese voted decisively for independence (2011). There are many difference between north and south, including religions, languages, ethnicity, food and traditions. The north is culturally Arab, but many are dark skinned.
The south is African, divided into many different tribal groups, some of which are related. The principal tribal grouops are the Dinka (15 percent), the Nuer (10 percent), the Bari, and the Azande. The Shilluk have historically dominated an area along the White Nile. Linguistic similarities suggest a close relation between the Dinka and Nuer. This has not prevented conflict between the two groups.
The northern Arabs are Muslim. The southern Africans are strongly Christian or traditional animists. There are also some soothern Muslims.
The South Sudan as pary of the 2005 peace agreement was to get at least 75 percent of the oil fields, but without a port has had to use the existing Sudanese infrastructure--pipe lines and ports. This arrangement has resulted in a transit dispute over what fees South Sudan should pay for use of Sudan's infrastructure. South Sudan has suspened oil shipments until the transit fee dispute is resolved. President Salva Kirr says that in addition to the oil transit dispute, there are other important issues, including border security and the border disputes.
Sudan People's Liberation Movement North (SPLM-N) took 29 Chinese hostages from a Chinese funded road construction project (January? 2012). The incident occurred in the Nuba Mounains, South Kordofan Region. [Bariyo and Spegele] The Chinese Government has contacted South Sudan diplomats in Khartoum for assistance in securing the release of the hostages. Sudan is one of China's most important African allies, supporting the Sudanese during the Darfur crisis and the brutal Sudanese Army pacification actions in the south. Now China has to contend with the illwill that support of the Aran Sudanese Government has generated among Africans in the south. The Chinese workers were taken and are being held in the remote south of Sudan north of the South Sudan border. The attack occurrd in disputed trritory. Sudan has accuded South Sudan of being behind the incident. Sudanese forces made a rescue attempt and one of the Chineses workers was apparently shot and killed. He was one of 18 who escaped. The Sudan Army is moving foreces into the area to rescue the hostages.
Bariyo, Ncholas and Brian Spegele, "China Diplomacy Tested in Kidnap Drama" The Wall Street Journal (February 3, 2012).
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