War And Peace In The Sudan 1955 1972

The civil war that has intermittently raged in the Sudan since independence in 1956 is, according to Francis Deng, a conflict of contrasting and seemingly incompatible identities in the Northern and Southern parts of the country. Identity is seen as a function of how people identify themselves and are identified in racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious terms. The identity question related to how such concepts determine or influence participation and distribution in the political, economic, social, and cultural life of the country. War of Visions aims at shedding light on the anomalies of the identity conflict. The competing models in the Sudan are the Arab-Islamic mold of the North, representing two-thirds of the country in territory and population, and the remaining Southern third, which is indigenously African in race, ethnicity, culture, and religion, with an educated Christianized elite. But although the North is popularly defined as racially Arab, the people are a hybrid of Arab and African elements, with the African physical characteristics predominating in most tribal groups. This configuration is the result of a historical process that stratified races, cultures, and religions, and fostered a "passing" into the Arab-Islamic mold that discriminated against the African race and cultures. The outcome of this process is a polarization that is based more on myth than on the realities of the situation. The identity crisis has been further complicated by the fact that Northerners want to fashion the country on the basis of their Arab- Islamic identity, while the South is decidedly resistant. Francis Deng presents three alternative approaches to the identity crisis. First, he argues that by bringing to the surface the realities of the African elements of identity in the North-- thereby revealing characteristics shared by all Sudanese--a new basis for the creation of a common identity could be established that fosters equitable

This book is a comprehensive investigation, discussion, and analysis of the origins and development of the first civil war in the Sudan, which occurred between 1955 and1972. It was the culmination of ethnic, racial, cultural, religious, political, and economic problems that had faced the Sudan since the Turco-Egyptian conquest of the country in 1821. The hostilities between the Northern and Southern regions of the Sudan also involved foreign powers that had their own geopolitical interests in the country. The first Sudanese civil war is a classic example of intra-regional and inter-regional conflicts in Africa in the 20th century.

First Published in 2003. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

On 9 July 2011, South Sudan became an independent state after more than half a century of civil conflict wrought with human rights abuse. Indeed, the post-colonial history of Sudan has been characterised by two Civil Wars spanning almost two decades each: the first from 1955-1972 and the second from 1983-2005. With questions of national and regional identity at the heart of the conflict, the Sudanese Civil Wars have highlighted key questions about the post-colonial epoch. Justin Leach's War and Politics in the Sudan offers a comparative analysis of the First and Second Sudanese Civil Wars, along with the peace treaties which ended them. Most historians have seen the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement as a stepping stone to renewed civil conflict in 1983 rather than as a settlement in its own right. Leach, on the other hand, believes that the size of Sudan precludes the application of traditional theories of conflict resolution. The introduction of natural resources brought a new facet to the already complex Second Sudanese Civil War. Oil, for instance, internationalised the conflict and added yet another prism through which groups in the conflict could view their identity. By tracing the evolving demands of the southern insurgents and the regimes they fought against, Leach outlines the main challenges to the Sudanese nationalist project, including the strength of southern regional identities, the resurgence of political Islam in the north as well as the sheer duration of the conflict. War and Politics in the Sudan thus offers a fresh and timely analysis of a region long beset by civil conflict, interethnic violence and poverty, a region whose historical narrative has recently taken on a new trajectory. Those interested in post-colonial Sudanese history are sure to find Leach's arguments both persuasive and pertinent.

Africa's Armies traces the military history of sub-Saharan Africa from the pre-colonial era to the present. Robert Edgerton begins this sweeping chronicle by describing the role of African armies in pre-colonial times, when armed forces or militias were essential to the maintenance and prosperity of their societies. During the colonial era, African soldiers fought with death-defying courage, earning such respect as warriors that they were often recruited into the colonial armies not simply to enforce colonial rule in Africa, but to fight for the European homelands as well. After independence swept through Africa, African military men seized political power in country after country, ruling dictatorially for their own benefit and for that of their kinsmen and cronies. The author describes the post-colonial civil wars that have devastated much of sub-Saharan Africa -- catastrophes marked by genocide, famine, disease, economic collapse, and steadily declining life expectancy. He closes by describing the role that Africa's military forces can and must play if the future is to bring better times to the continent's many peoples.