Sudan: Background Info P. Wall

Until 1956, Sudan was a British colony Until 1956, Sudan was a British colony. However, northern Sudan was always quite different from the southern part of the country. https://youtu.be/KB5eNauNhs4?t=12s (stop at 1:21)

The British gave the northern part of Sudan control of the entire country.

This led to two civil wars: the first Sudanese civil war (1956-1972) the second Sudanese civil war (1983-2005)

Salva’s story, as described in A Long Walk to Water, began in 1985 when the second Sudanese civil war came to his village.

This second civil war, which lasted 22 years, is one of the longest civil wars on record. Roughly 2 million people died, one of the highest death tolls in 20th century warfare. Another 4 million were displaced.

At the time A Long Walk to Water was written (2010), the country of Sudan was the largest country in Africa and one of the most culturally diverse.

In 2011, South Sudan became an independent country following an independence referendum. However, there continues to be division between tribal groups in this new country, and it remains very weak.