The Sudan Conflict, by Krystel Hillbish

Since 1965, the Sudanese people struggled with identifying their nationality. The rift between the northern area of Sudan and the southern area of Sudan caused civil unrest and war within the country. These years of civil unrest resulted from the major differences between the North and South that still affect the country today. While the North of Sudan identifies itself with the Arab culture and religion, Islam, the South adopts either tribal culture or adopts the religion of Christianity.

Discussing the North/South religious dispute in Sudan, Lynsey Addario of the New York Times writes, “The north is mostly Muslim and historically has identified with the Arab world, while many southerners are Christian and more connected to Kenya, Uganda, and other sub-Saharan nations.” The religious disputes and cultural differences between the two worlds in Sudan worsen the nation’s tensions and influences. In addition, other countries are supporting either the North or South, based on which values they prefer. For example, because the West has similar values to South Sudan, Western nations support Southern cessation from the North. In 2005, two major Sudanese political parties signed a treaty that ended most of the killing in the South and settled some major disputes (Addario). This treaty was influenced by the United States under the Bush administration. In addition, the reign of Omar al-Bashir caused a strain between Western nations and Northern Sudan because of al-Bashir’s association with radical Islamists, like Osama Bin-Laden (Addario). Regardless of Northern Sudan’s ties, the Southern part of Sudan was able to succeed from the North in July of 2011.

This separation from the North, however, did not end all disputes plaguing the once-unified nation because the two countries are now fighting over oil control. Because of the high value of oil to Sudan’s economy, the North is fearful of allowing the South to secede, which is what the majority of the Southern population desires (Addario).

Works Cited
Addario, Lynsey. “Sudan.” New York Times. 14 July 2011. Web. 19 October 2011.