South Sudan’s Country Profile: The Birth of a New Nation
On July 9th 2011, South Sudan seceded from Sudan, under the terms of the 2005 comprehensive peace agreement, which ended decades of civil war. As a result of the January 2011 referendum, South Sudan gained its independence after an overwhelming majority of South Sudanese voted in favor of secession. The secession made South Sudan Africa’s first new nation since 1993, when Eritrea split from Ethiopia. The Republic of South Sudan became the 193rd country in the United Nations and the 54th member of the African Union.
South Sudan, is endowed with many natural resources. It is composed of 10 states, and is bordered by Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Uganda. It enjoys a very rich diversity of terrain, climate and ethnic composition. The population of South Sudan is approximately 8 million. Over sixty tribes live in South Sudan; among the largest tribes are the Dinka, Nuer and Shilluk. In contrast to the Muslim population of northern Sudan, most South Sudanese practice indigenous traditional beliefs. However, over ninety percent of the population also identify themselves as Christian.
The world’s newest country faces considerable humanitarian challenges, after engaging in Africa’s longest civil war. The North-South civil war lasted over 20 years, killed more than 2.5 million people and displaced more than 5 million human beings.
In the wake of independence, South Sudan was almost immediately engulfed in tribal conflict. Tensions between Sudan and South Sudan also developed over border and oil disputes. While the Comprehensive Peace Agreement paved the way for independence, it left many issues unresolved, including border demarcation, wealth-sharing, and the fate of the disputed territory of Abyei. Tensions between the North and South increased with fighting erupting in Abyei, where the Sudanese Army drove out the local Dinka inhabitants, and in Sudan’s Southern Kordofan and the Blue Nile states. A referendum to decide whether Abyei would join Sudan or South Sudan was planned in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, but the referendum was never held, with negotiations stalling over voter eligibility. In May 2011, Sudan launched a full scale attack in Abyei, resulting in the displacement of 110,000 Dinka, who would have probably voted to join South Sudan. By forcibly displacing Abyei’s Dinka inhabitants, Sudan has effectively annexed Abyei.
Currently the disputed region of Abyei is under Sudan’s control. The United Nations deployed 2,000 Ethiopian troops to Abyei, but Sudan continues to aid militia in the region. Despite the African Union’s efforts in mediating talks between Sudan and South Sudan, relations remain strained; both countries continue to accuse each other of supporting insurgencies, and negotiations over oil revenues are also at a deadlock.
Both Sudan and South Sudan rely heavily on oil revenues to finance their economies. 75 percent of the oil lies in the South. However the pipelines, refineries, and port for shipment are in the North. In January 2012, the dispute over oil reached a crisis point when South Sudan halted oil production, after accusing Sudan of stealing its shipments. Sudan started to confiscate shipments, claiming that the shipments would make up for unpaid transit fees. Sudan’s demanded “transit fees” far exceed its actual costs. Theoretically both countries need each other; however the two nations are locked in dangerous game of brinkmanship.
The demarcation of borders is another contentious problem. Regular clashes along and across the border exacerbate the humanitarian situation. Hundeds of thousands of people from the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile States of Sudan are fleeing into South Sudan. Attacks by the Sudan Air Force and militias, along with counter-attacks by the SPLA/M pose significant threats to civilians in Sudan.
Historically, ethnic clashes and cattle raids were common in South Sudan; but they were conducted with spears and genocide was never the intent. They resulted from demand for high bridal dowries. The Murle and Nuer are both agro-pastoralist tribes that depend extensively on subsistence farming and cattle-herding.
During the North-South civil war the tribes of southern Sudan were united by the SPLA in their common battle for independence from Sudan. However, it is now likely that traditional hostilities between southern tribes will escalate over cattle, land and grazing rights.
In the months following independence, bitter ethnic tensions erupted into massacres and revenge attacks. Ethnically based militias swept the new country on killing and cattle raids in the Warrap, Unity and Jonglei States. Newly armed with machine guns and vehicles with high caliber machine guns, ethnic massacres in Jonglei state have taken on the character of genocidal massacres. The government of South Sudan has no heavily equipped army to stop these raids.
In late December 2011, eight thousand Lou Nuer fighters known as the White Army entered the small Murle village of Pibor. They systematically burned huts, looted cattle, and killed men, women and children. Prior to their arrival the raiders blatantly broadcast their intent to commit genocide: “ We have decided to invade Murleland and wipe out the entire Murle tribe on the face of the earth. “
The Murle are a small tribe, a minority in their own land. The absence of South Sudanese police makes them especially vulnerable in conflicts. Both the government and the United Nations peacekeepers failed to protect the Murle tribe. The United Nations military observers watched the Nuer burn down huts and kill innocent civilians. The attacks exposed the government’s failure to protect its own citizens. The South Sudanese government has been reluctant to interfere in the feuds between the two tribes due to the fact the Lou Nuer play a crucial role in supplying the South Sudanese army.
Since December 2011, Murle warriors have retaliated. There has been a significant spike in revenge attacks, between the Lou Nuer and Murle tribes. Murle fighters regrouped and have already hit several Nuer villages, killing dozens of civilians and abducting children. In response to the attacks, the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, himself a Nuer, launched a program aimed at disarming civilians across the Jonglei state. Some 12,000 soldiers and police are now deployed to collect an estimated 30,000 weapons from Jonglei civilians. The UN estimates that in 2011, some 350,000 people have been displaced as result of ethnic conflicts in South Sudan.
South Sudan faces many obstacles; it is one the world’s poorest, least developed nations, despite inheriting the bulk of Sudan’s oil wealth. Decades of war have left the country severely impoverished. Nearly 350,000 people have returned from Sudan to South Sudan. Most are living under deplorable conditions.
Currently South Sudan faces a food emergency; the UN estimates that one third of its people are facing endemic hunger and starvation. Ethnic tensions and border disputes threaten South Sudan’s future.
Genocide Watch has declared that ethnic massacres in Jonglei state constitute a Genocide Emergency. In accord with our eight stages of genocide, South Sudan is ranked at Stage 7 (Extermination).
- Noting with deep concern that violence and insecurity continue to threaten the civilian population in South Sudan, Genocide Watch urges the UN Security Council to strengthen the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan to authorize proactive armed assistance to the government of South Sudan to prevent the recurrence of ethnic massacres.
- We urge the government to engage in dialogue with local community leaders from the Nuer, Murle, Dinka, Shilluk and other tribes to negotiate procedures for conflict resolution.
- We urge the Government to disarm civilian militias.
- Genocide Watch calls upon the government to adopt development strategies that will build roads and railroads, and provide jobs to many unemployed youth.
- Genocide Watch is deeply concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in South Sudan, and we urge the government of South Sudan to adopt an emergency plan in order prevent famine.
- We call upon the government, the UN, World Bank and NGO’s to convene an immediate donors’ conference to avert imminent famine and raise funds for development aid to South Sudan.
