Civil War

Civil war between the north and south broke out in 1955 and continued after Sudan became an independent nation in 1956. Sudan's succession of northern governments could not bring the conflict under control. Fighting continued until 1972, when the Southern Sudan Liberation Movement (SSLM) signed a peace agreement with the Nimeiry government. The peace was doomed from the start, because the foundation necessary for a pluralistic, democratic society was not there. Policies forcing the south to adopt Arab culture, Arab language, and the religion of Islam only intensified as Nimeiry strengthened Sudan's ties to Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

    Throughout the 1970s, the sorry consequences of her grandiose economic development schemes influenced Sudan away from the Soviet Union and closer to the Western nations. Nevertheless, internal unrest over bad economic policies was growing. When reserves of strategic minerals and petroleum were discovered in the south, Nimeiry's government thought it had found the solution to Sudan's troubles. But before he could exploit these new sources of wealth, Nimeiry somehow had to get the country back under control. By the early 1980s, strikes, riots, and shortages of goods and services had paralyzed the nation. To rally support from the northern parties, President Nimeiry announced on September 8, 1983 that Sudan's civil laws had been revised to bring them into conformity with Sharia, or Islamic Law.

    The declaration of the so-called September Laws accompanied serious violations of the 1972 peace agreement with the SSLM. The government in Khartoum clearly intended to exploit the south's natural resources at any cost. Civil war broke out again. The southern forces, backed this time by the Soviet Union's surrogate in Ethiopia, had reorganized in 1983 as the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army (SPLA). This civil war took on a religious necessity that had not characterized the previous struggle.

    In 1986, a coup d'état forced Nimeiry out of power. The coalition government of northern political parties that replaced him was, in turn, overthrown in 1989 by General Omar al-Bashir and the charismatic fundamentalist leader of the National Islamic Front (NIF), Hasan al-Turabi. The NIF outlawed all other political parties and transformed Sudan into an Islamic dictatorship. In response, the northern parties formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which included the SPLA. Peace talks between the SPLA and the Government of Sudan continually stumbled over the south's right to self-determination and over the relationship between state and religion.

    In 1991, the SPLA split into factions. The south was virtually destroyed by the in-fighting that followed the split, but the SPLA survived. International intervention enabled both the armed resistance to the north and the peace talks to continue. By 1994, a significant grassroots peace movement began to emerge in the south. In 1996, several southern rebel factions signed a peace charter with the Government of Sudan. That charter, while never approved by the SPLA, became the basis for subsequent peace talks. A breakthrough in the peace process came in April 1997, when the Government of Sudan agreed to allow a referendum on self-determination for the south. The referendum will give the southern people the option of either unity or independence.

    While Sudan's recent history is a complex web of conflict, one thing stands out: the union of religion and identity has shaped the course of Sudan's institutions, international relations, and internal problems. For the Sudanese, to be Muslim is to be Arab. The most serious consequence of the 1984 declaration of Sharia law is that it transformed the civil war into a jihad, throwing the full weight of northern religious passion and identity behind the political struggle to keep the people and resources of the south under tight northern control.

Looking Toward the Future of Southern Sudan

    There is no doubt that civil war, ethic and religious differences, and totalitarianism constitute a direct threat to the future survival of many thousands, if not millions of southern people. Their primary challenge is to apply inventiveness and ingenuity in making peace and in solving their economic, social, and political problems. Those who think this can be accomplished by imposing a Marxist ideology are mistaken. The primary resources for building southern Sudan's future lie within the historical, cultural, and religious context of the people themselves. Since 1994, the grassroots peace movement in southern Sudan has gained international recognition and assistance. Numerous local peace consultations have been effective in reconciling ethnic groups and in beginning the process of economic and social recovery from the devastation of war.

    South Sudanese Friends International (SSFI) is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit corporation founded in 1994. Our activities include supporting the grassroots peace movement. We are funded by contributions from individuals, religious organizations, and civic groups that affirm our mission to share the love of Jesus Christ with the people of southern Sudan in a way that leads them towards peaceful and self-reliant living from the grassroots level, so that available resources will meet the needs of their communities.