|
|||||||||||||||||||||
History of Southern SudanThe region that we now know as Southern Sudan is composed of ten states: Western Bahr El Ghazal, Northern Bahr El Ghazal, Unity, Warab, Lakes, Western Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Central Equatoria, Jonglei and Upper Nile. Before the European scramble for Africa, there was no state - by current definition - that existed in this territory. It only consisted of small, medium and large nationalities that coexisted in harmony.
This tranquil existence was brutally interrupted by the European invaders on empire-creation mission. These invasions were motivated by their craving for trade commodities and markets. Southern Sudan became the main source of such trade commodities like slaves, gold, ivory and timber. The first of these invasions was by Turkish troops in 1820-1 through the Pasha of Egypt, Mohammed Ali. The Turko-Egyptians frequently raided the Southern region for slaves resulting in millions of the residents being carried into slavery in the Arab World and other regions. Even though the Turko-Egyptian regime lasted over 60 years, it didn't subdue all communities Southern Sudan and neither did the Mahdist regime after it. However, the regimes plundered the wealth of the region. The first plunderers were Arabs (known as al-Jallabas) under the Ottoman empire who used Mohamed Ahmed el Mahdi, a Northern Sudanese to intensify slave trade, Arabization and Islamization in the region.
The British engaged the Northerners meaningfully and brokered an independence package which placed the Southerners under the former. Now with retarded development and lack of political - and economic power - the Southerners felt betrayed leading to the 1955 mutiny by the Southern troops leading to the first civil war which lasted 17 years until the Addis Ababa agreement in 1972. Even though this agreement gave some autonomy to the Southern Sudan, it was blatantly violated by the Khartoum government in many respects including the imposition of Sharia Law. This period was particularly cruel for the Southern Sudanese who was the subject of calculated atrocities aimed at political marginalization; socio-development stagnation; cultural subjugation; decimation through slavery, massacres, executions, and forced islamization. Similarly, the period was also marked by several revolts by Southern Sudanese to liberate themselves and their region from Northern domination and redeem their dignity as a people born free and capable to determine their destiny. The major ones include mutinies by the Anya Nya movement in 1962 and 1972; and longest civil war waged by the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement and Army led by the late Dr John Garang de Mabior beginning from 1983 to 2005 when the CPA was signed.
This article was updated on Oct 20, 2009 Other information sources on Southern Sudan historyDownloads:
Web Sites: >>South Sudan: A History of Political Domination - A Case of Self-Determination, (Riek Machar)
Print Publications:
This article was updated on Jan 29, 2010
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||