South Sudan b. Explain how political, economic, and social conflicts resulted in the independence of South Sudan.
Where is South Sudan? East-Central Africa, south of Sudan, north of Uganda and Kenya, west of Ethiopia South Sudan is a republic Capital city is called Juba
What happened? The people who live in the region of South Sudan have wanted to be separated for years (since 1800’s) They do not follow Islam They do not get along with the other Sudanese people When Sudan gained its independence in 1956, it was thought that the southerners would be able to participate fully in the government However, the Arab government did not follow its promises
2 Sudanese Civil Wars This led to a revolt 1955-1972 1st civil war 1983-2005 2nd civil war Around 2.5 million people died - mostly civilians - due to starvation and drought Around 5 million people have been displaced or become refugees
Peace Talks? Peace talks resulted in a Comprehensive Peace Agreement -signed in January 2005 As part of this agreement, the south was granted a six-year period of independence These 6 years were to be followed by a vote on a final status The result of the vote (held in January 2011) was a vote of 98% in favor of secession Independence was attained on July 9, 2011
What now? South Sudan is rich in oil reserves However, it is landlocked and there is not much industry and growth Widespread poverty Govt spends a lot of money to maintain a large army