Current Status of North and South Sudan, by Krista Gromelski

In order to understand what is going on in Sudan (or Africa) today, it is important to understand its roots—its history. According to International Crisis Group, Africa’s largest country, Sudan is divided along lines of religion (70 percent Muslim, 25 per cent animist, 5 per cent Christian), ethnicity (African, Arab origin), tribe, and economic activity (nomadic sedentary). Since its independence in 1956, the country has been characterized by ongoing centre—periphery (border) tensions. As a result, Sudan has been in a state of near constant war, the deadliest conflicts being those between North and South 1956-1972 and 1983-2005, and, more recently the conflict in Darfur.

It has been a continuous and upheaving battle to declare independence from one another for over 50 some years. And one such problem that caused such turmoil was that an inefficient and corrupt government also plagued the fledging nation. This undermined even the ruler’s good faith efforts to establish school in rural areas; a problem that the author Tayeb Salih wrote about in Season of Migration to the North.

The long awaited day came when it was announced to the world that Sudan was officially going to be split into two countries. As the International Crisis Group wrote, “On July 9, 2011, Africa’s largest country split in two, formalising the long-awaited independence of South Sudan following decades of war and acrimony between North and South. While the January 2011 referendum on Southern self-determination passed relatively peacefully, under close internation scrutiny, tensions mounted in months leading up to the South’s independence.” As one can see, tensions had been mounting more and more, until the official word was given that Sudan was split into North and South Sudan.

With negotiations being debated back in early January of 2011, the people of South Sudan were waiting patiently, until they suddenly heard great news. As Time reported, “The people of Sudan’s southern capital, Juba, broke out in exuberant song and dance on Sunday, Jan. 30, as the inevitable became official: in July, Sudan will split into two new nations.”

North and South Sudan presently have been in negotiations to settle many disputes, especially the distribution of oil. One such example of tension is quite apparent in Salih’s text Season of Migration to the North, where Mahjoub and unnamed narrator are having a bit of an argument, and Mahjoub complains, yelling:

Everything’s in Khartoum. The whole of the country’s budget is spent in Khartoum. One single hospital in Merawi, and it takes us three days to get there. The women die in child-birth—there’s not a single qualified midwife in this place. (118)

As a result, the split has indeed caused a great deal of tension between neighbors, put a damper on development of the economy, and the political power and social aspects have been going back and forth. Both “states” will certainly have a long road ahead of them...for years to come.

Works Cited
"Africa: Sudan." Central Intelligence Agency. n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.
"Sudan." New York Times. New York Times, 11 Nov. 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2011

"Sudan after the South's Independence." International Crisis Group. 2011. Web.
10 Nov. 2011

Boswell, Alan. "Sudan's Split: As South Cheers, the North Protests." TIME World. Time, 31 Jan. 2011. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.

Collins, Toby. "North and South Sudan: two new countries, two new currencies."
Sudan Tribune. 12 July 2011. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.

Salih, Tayeb. Season of Migration to the North.
Boulder: Three Continents Press, Inc., 1980. Print