A STORY OF STRUGGLES

The people of South Sudan have endured continuous hardship from 1955 onward. Except for a decade of relative peace (1972–1982), the region experienced persistent conflict resulting in millions of deaths, widespread displacement, enslavement of tens of thousands, and systematic sexual violence.

Multiple factors contributed to this suffering, including religion, racial prejudice, economic exploitation, colonialism, tribal issues, greed and poor leadership.

Following British withdrawal, northern Arab Muslims assumed control without input from southern African populations of Christian and other faiths. Southern resistance led to stalemate, culminating in the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement establishing regional self-governance.

In 1983, Sudan’s president imposed Islamic law nationwide and established Arabic as the official language. This sparked formation of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and subsequent civil war.

A radical National Islamic Front government seized power in 1989, intensifying Islamic law enforcement and militarizing the Janjaweed.

International involvement eventually resolved the conflict by 2005. South Sudan gained independence in 2011 but descended into civil war following ethnic violence in December 2013.

Current peace initiatives from 2015 and 2018 remain ineffective at addressing tribalism, poor leadership, past humanitarian abuse and corruption.