Southern Sudan

Government of Southern Sudan
Anthem: Southern Sudan anthem
Capital (and largest city)		Juba
Official language(s)		English, Arabic (Juba Arabic)[1]
Recognised regional languages		over 400 dialects. Bari, Kakwa, Dinka, Nuer[1], Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages.
Ethnic groups		Dinka, Nuer, Bari, Lotuko, Kuku, Zande, Mundari, Kakwa, Pojulu, Moru, Acholi, Madi, Lulubo, Lokoya, Toposa, Lango, Didinga, Murle, Anuak, Makaraka, Mundu, Jur, Kaliko, and others.
Demonym		South Sudanese
Government
-	President	Salva Kiir Mayardit
-	Vice-President	Riek Machar
-	Speaker of Legislative Assembly	James Wani Igga
Establishment
-	Comprehensive Peace Agreement	January 9, 2005
Area
-	Total	640,000 km2  247,105 sq mi
Population
-	estimate	7,500,000 - 9,700,000 (2006, UNFPA)[2] 11,000,000 - 13,000,000 (Southern Sudan claim, 2009)[3]
-	2008 census	8,260,490 (disputed)[4]
Currency		Sudanese pound
Time zone		(UTC+3)
1	Estimated at 8.5 million in 2005. natural rescources petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, hydropower. (CIA factbook)

Southern Sudan (officially known as the Government of Southern Sudan), is located in Africa with Juba as its capital city. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the east, Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south, and the Central African Republic to the west. To the north lies the predominantly Arab and Muslim region directly under the control of the central government, with its capital at Khartoum. Southern Sudan includes the vast swamp region of the Sudd formed by the White Nile, locally called the Bahr el Jebel. The region's autonomous status is a condition of a peace agreement between the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army and the Government of Sudan represented by the National Congress Party ending the Second Sudanese Civil War. The conflict was Africa's longest running civil war ^[5][6]. A referendum on independence for Southern Sudan is scheduled to be held in January 2011.

Contents 1 History 2 Government 3 Geography 3.1 Flora and fauna 4 Demographics 4.1 Language 4.2 Population 4.2.1 2008 census 4.2.2 2009 census 4.3 Religion 5 Economy 5.1 Oil 6 Games and sports 7 Humanitarian situation 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links

History

There is little documentation of the history of the southern provinces until the beginning of Egyptian rule in the north in the early 1820s and the subsequent extension of into the south. Information before that time is based largely on oral history. According to these traditions, the Nilotic peoples—the Dinka, Nuer, Shilluk, and others—first entered southern Sudan sometime before the tenth century. During the period from the fifteenth century to the nineteenth century, tribal migrations, largely from the area of Bahr el Ghazal, brought these peoples to their modern locations. The non-Nilotic Azande people, who entered southern Sudan in the sixteenth century, established the region's largest state. In the eighteenth century, the Avungara people entered and quickly imposed their authority over the Azande. The Azande is the third largest nationality in South Sudan. They are found in Maridi, Yambio and Tambura districts in the tropical rain forest belt of western Equatoria and Bahr el Ghazal [remnant of Gbudwe armies that went on rampage in the area during the eighteenth century Avungara power remained largely unchallenged until the arrival of the British at the end of the nineteenth century. Geographical barriers protected the southerners from Islam's advance, enabling them to retain their social and cultural heritage and their political and religious institutions.

The Azande have had difficult relations with the neighbours namely the Moro, Mundu, Pöjulu and the small groups in Bahr el Ghazal due to their expansionist policy of their King Gbudwe in the eighteenth century. The Azande fought the French and the Belgians, the Mahdist to maintain their independence. Egypt, under the rule of Khedive Isma'il Pasha, first attempted to colonise the region in the 1870s, establishing the province of Equatoria in the southern portion. Egypt's first governor was Samuel Baker, commissioned in 1869, followed by Charles George Gordon in 1874 and by Emin Pasha in 1878. The Mahdist Revolt of the 1880s destabilised the nascent province, and Equatoria ceased to exist as an Egyptian outpost in 1889. Important settlements in Equatoria included Lado, Gondokoro, Dufile and Wadelai.

It is estimated that the Southern region has a population of more than 10 million, but given the lack of a census in several decades, this estimate may be severely compromised. The economy is predominantly rural and subsistence farming, but at the beginning of 2005, the economy began to transition from this rural dominance and urban areas within Southern Sudan have seen extensive development. This region has been negatively affected by two civil wars since Sudanese independence - the Sudanese government fought the Anyanya rebel army from 1955 to 1972 in the First Sudanese Civil War and then SPLA/M in the Second Sudanese Civil War for almost twenty-one years after the founding of SPLA/M in 1983 - resulting in serious neglect, lack of infrastructure development, and major destruction and displacement. More than 2.5 million people have been killed, and more than 5 million have become externally displaced while others have been internally displaced, becoming refugees as a result of the civil war and war-related impacts.

Government

Aside from the Interim National Constitution of the Republic of Sudan^[7], the Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan of 2005 is the supreme law^[8] of Southern Sudan. The Constitution establishes an Executive Branch headed by a President who is both the Head of State, Head of Government, and Commander-in-Chief of the Sudan People's Liberation Army. John Garang, the founder of the SPLA/M was the first President until his death on 30 July 2005. Salva Kiir Mayärdït, his deputy, was sworn in as First Vice President of Sudan and President of the Government of Southern Sudan on 11 August 2005. Riek Machar replaced him as Vice-President. Legislative power is vested in the government and the unicameral Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly. The Constitution also provides for an independent judiciary, the highest organ being the Supreme Court.

Defense Paper on defence processes was initiated in 2007 and produced a draft in 2008, declaring that South Sudan should eventually maintain land, air, and riverine forces.^[9]

Geography

Southern Sudan officially consists of the ten states which formerly composed the three historic Provinces of Bahr el Ghazal, Equatoria, and Upper Nile. The three areas of Nuba Mountains, Abyei and Blue Nile are culturally and politically part of the South but according to the CPA will have separate administrations until a referendum is held in which they will have the option of joining the South or remain under Northern administration.

• Bahr el Ghazal
  • Western Bahr el Ghazal
  • Northern Bahr el Ghazal
  • Warrap
  • Lakes

• Equatoria
  • Eastern Equatoria
  • Central Equatoria
  • Western Equatoria

• Upper Nile
  • Jonglei
  • Unity
  • Upper Nile

Flora and fauna

Southern Sudan's protected areas support some of the most spectacular and important wildlife populations in Africa, and hosted the second largest wildlife migration in the world. Surveys in the preceding years revealed that Boma National Park, west of the Ethiopian border, as well as the Sudd wetland and Southern National Park near the border with Congo, provided habitat for large populations of kob and topis (two types of antelope), buffalo, elephants, giraffes, hartebeests (another antelope), and lions. Southern Sudan's forest reserves also provided habitat for bongo (also an antelope), giant forest hogs, red river hogs, forest elephants, chimpanzees, and forest monkeys.

Recent surveys begun in 2005 by WCS in partnership with the semi-autonomous government of Southern Sudan revealed that significant, though diminished wildlife populations still exist, and that, astonishingly, the huge migration of 1.3 million antelopes in the southeast is substantially intact. Today the region is sparsely populated with only 7 million people spread across the vast floodplain of the Nile River.

In 2006 the president of Southern Sudan announced that the region would do everything possible to protect and propagate its flora and fauna, and seek to reduce the effects of wildfires, waste dumping, and water pollution. At the same time, large multinational companies are poised to extract natural resources in Southern Sudan on a wide scale, posing threats to the nation's remarkable wildlife and their habitats.

Southern Sudan’s wildlife habitats include grasslands, high-altitude plateaus and escarpments, wooded and grassy savannas, floodplains, and wetlands. Associated wildlife species include the endemic white-eared kob and Nile lechwe, as well as elephants, giraffes, common eland, giant eland, oryx, lions, wild dogs, buffalo, and topi (locally called tiang). Little is currently known about the white-eared kob and tiang, whose magnificent migrations were legendary before the civil war. The Boma-Jonglei Landscape region encompasses Boma National Park, broad pasturelands and floodplains, Bandingilo National Park, and the Sudd, a vast area of swamp and seasonally flooded grasslands that includes the Zeraf Wildlife Reserve.

Demographics

Language

Southern Sudan is composed of more than 200 ethnic groups speaking languages found primarily within Southern Sudan with other languages from neighboring Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Congo, Northern Sudan (Khartoum) and more. The official language is both Nuer and Dinka, along with various local languages in states or cities.

Population

2008 census

The "Fifth Population and Housing Census of Sudan", of Sudan as a whole, was conducted in April 2008. However the census results of Southern Sudan were rejected by Southern Sudanese officials as reportedly "the central bureau of statistics in Khartoum refused to share the national Sudan census raw data with southern Sudan centre for census, statistic and evaluation."^[10] The census showed the Southern Sudan population to be 8.26 million^[4][11], however President Salva Kiir had "suspected figures were being deflated in some regions and inflated in others, and that made the final tally "unacceptable"."^[12] He also claimed the Southern Sudanese population to really be one-third of Sudan, while the census showed it to be only 22%.^[11] Many Southern Sudanese were also said to not have been counted "due to bad weather, poor communication and transportation networks, and some areas were unreachable, while many Southern Sudanese remained in exile in neighbouring countries, leading to 'unacceptable results', according [to] south Sudanese authorities."^[12] The chief American technical adviser for the census in the South also said the census-takers probably reached 89% of the population.^[13]

2009 census

In 2009 Northern Sudan started a new Southern Sudanese census ahead of the Southern Sudanese independence referendum, 2011, which is said to also include the Southern Sudanese diaspora. However this initiative was criticised as it was to leave out countries with a high share of the Southern Sudanese diaspora, and rather count countries where the diaspora share was low.^[14]

Religion

Southern Sudanese practice traditional beliefs and Christianity. Approximately 20% of the population of the region practices Christianity; most of these are Catholic or Anglican, though other denominations also are active.^[15]

Economy

One of the major natural features of the Southern Sudan is the Rive Nile whose many tributaries have sources in the country. The region also contains many natural resources such as petroleum, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold, and hydropower. The country's economy, as in many other developing countries, is heavily dependent on agriculture. Some of the agricultural produce include cotton, groundnuts (peanuts), sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sugarcane, cassava (tapioca), mangos, papaya, bananas, sweet potatoes, sesame, sheep, and other livestock.

Southern Sudan also exports timber to the international market. Some of the states with the best known teaks and natural trees for timber are Western Equatoria and Central Equatoria. In Central Equatoria some teak plantations are at Kegulu, the other, oldest planted forest reserves are Kawale, Lijo, Loka West and Nuni. Western Equatoria timber resources include Mvuba trees at Zamoi.

Oil

It is a geographical fact that 85% of the Sudanese oil industry comes from Southern Sudan. The oil revenues according to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement or the CPA, are to be split equally for the duration of the agreement period. The oil revenues however, constitute more than 90% of the semi-autonomous government of Southern Sudan's budget. The oil and other mineral resources can be found throughout Southern Sudan, but the Bentiu is commonly known as being especially rich in oil, while Jongeli, Warap and Lakes states have potential reserves.

In recent years, a significant amount of foreign-based oil drilling has begun in Southern Sudan, raising the land's geopolitical profile. Khartoum has partitioned much of Sudan into blocks, with about 85% of the oil coming from the South. Blocks 1, 2, and 4 are controlled by the largest overseas consortium, the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company (GNPOC). GNPOC is composed of the following players: CNPC (People's Republic of China), with a 40% stake; Petronas (Malaysia), with 30%; ONGC (India), with 25%; and Sudapet of the central Sudan government with 5%.

The other producing blocks in the South are blocks 3 and 7 in Eastern Upper Nile. These blocks are controlled by Petrodar which is 41% owned by CNPC of China, 40% by Petronas, 8% by Sudapet, 5% by Gulf Petroleum and 5% by Al Thani .

Another major block in the South, called Block B by Khartoum, is claimed by several players. Total of France was awarded the concession for the 90,000 square kilometer block in the 1980s but has since done limited work invoking "force majeure". Various elements of the SPLM handed out the block or parts thereof to other parties of Southern Sudan. Several of these pre-Naivasha deals were rejected when the SPLM/A leader Dr. John Garang de Mabior lost power. One company in Southern Sudan, claims that the Government of Southern Sudan has since accepted its pre-CPA contracts . These contracts have been backed by Late Dr. John Garang and handed them Southern Sudanese government, which originally signed agreements in September 2005 as head of the SPLM/A and has publicly supported Southern Sudan's Self-governing deal .

The wealth-sharing section of the CPA states that all agreements signed prior to the CPA would hold; they would not be subject to review by the National Petroleum Commission (NPC), a commission set up by the CPA and composed of both Khartoum and Southerners and co-chaired by both President al-Bashir of Khartoum and President Kiir of Southern Sudan. However, the CPA does not specify who could sign those pre-CPA agreements. Both Khartoum and the South have previously attempted to claim the ability to sign agreements under the right of "self-determination" awarded to Southerners which has just been declared on September 19, 2009 in more than 105 countries around the World.

Games and sports

Southern Sudan is popular for many traditional and modern games and sports, particularly wrestling and mock battles. The traditional sports were mainly played after the harvest seasons to celebrate the harvests and finish the farming seasons. The wrestlers were generally strong, well-trained young men. During the matches, they smeared themselves with ochre - perhaps to enhance the grip or heighten their perception. The matches attracted large numbers of spectators who sang, played drums and danced in support of their favorite wrestlers. Though these were perceived as competition, they were primarily for entertainment. At the conclusion, people feasted and generally made merry.

In the modern era, Southern Sudanese have excelled in international sports. Luol Deng is a basketball star with the Chicago Bulls in the NBA. Other leading international basketball players from Southern Sudan include Manute Bol, Ajou Deng, Kueth Duany, Deng Gai and Ater Majok.

Majak Daw is on track to become the first Sudanese-born professional Australian rules football player, having been signed to the North Melbourne Kangaroos in the AFL in late 2009.^[16]

Football is also becoming popular in Southern Sudan, and there are many initiatives by the Government of Southern Sudan and other partners to promote the sport and improve the level of play. One of these initiatives is Southern Sudan Youth Sports Association (SSYSA). SSYSA is already holding football clinics in Konyokonyo and Muniki areas of Juba in which young boys and coached to become good footballers. It is envisaged that super-players will emerge from these dusty make-shift football fields in both the short- and long-term. In recognition of these efforts with youth football, the country recently hosted the CECAFA Youth soccer competitions. Barely a month earlier, it had also hosted the larger East African Schools Sports tournaments.

Humanitarian situation

Southern Sudan is acknowledged to have some of the worst health indicators in the world.^[17][18][19]. The under-five infant mortality rate is 112 per 1,000, whilst maternal mortality is the highest in the world at 2,053.9 per 100,000 live births.^[19]. In 2004, there were only three surgeons serving southern Sudan, with three proper hospitals, and in some areas there was just one doctor for every 500,000 people.^[17]

The epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in the Southern Sudan is poorly documented but the prevalence is thought to be around 3.1%.^[20].

At the time of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005, humanitarian needs in Southern Sudan were massive. However, humanitarian organizations under the leadership of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) managed to ensure sufficient funding to bring relief to the local populations. Along with recovery and development aid, humanitarian projects were included in the 2007 Work Plan of the United Nations and partners.

In 2007, the OCHA (under the leadership of Éliane Duthoit) decreased its involvement in Southern Sudan, as humanitarian needs gradually diminished, slowly but markedly turning over control to the recovery and development activities of NGOs and community-based organisations.^[21]

See also

• Lost Boys of Sudan
• Sudan
• Lainya County
• John Dau
• South Sudan Equatorians Association Inc.
• Jur River County

References

Further reading

• Biel, Melha Rout (2007). Southern Sudan after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Jena: Netzbandt Verlag. ISBN 9783937884011 
• Tvedt, Terje (2004). Southern Sudan. An Annotated Bibliography. (2 vols), 2nd. ed., IB Tauris: London/New York

External links

• Southern Sudan Medical Journal
• Government of Southern Sudan
• Government of Southern Sudan - USA Mission
• Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly
• SPLM Official Site
• / HELPSudan International, founded by lost boys living in Chicago who are determined to better communities in southern Sudan by establishing schools and providing health resources and clean water
• Political information site
• Site for Southern Independence
• Post-2011 scenarios in Sudan: What role for the EU?, by Suliman Baldo, Maria Gabrielsen, Fabienne Hara, Damien Helly, Fouad Hikmat, Michael Kevane, Roland Marchal, Tim Murithi, Luke Patey, Report No. 6, November 2009, European Union Institute for Security Studies
• UN Mission in Sudan
• North/South Sudan Abyei Boundary Tribunal, including H.E. Former ICJ President Stephen M. Schwebel and H.E. Vice-President Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh and 3 July 2008 and UN SRSG for Sudan Praises Abyei Progress of 11 September 2008 and Parties Deposit Abyei Arbitration Agreement and Designate Agents of 2 October 2008 and 31 October 2008 and Norway's Contribution to the PCA Fund for North and South Sudan of 18 December 2008 and Sudan Applauds U.S. President Obama of 22 January 2009 and the White House and the Abyei Tribunal's Schedule for the Written Pleadings and Oral Hearing and Abyei Hearing Schedule, 18-23 April 2009 and Abyei Hearing Proceeds Following Expense Row of 17 April 2009 and Oral Hearing of Abyei Arbitration Begins on 18 April 2009 and Final Abyei Boundary Award of 22 July 2009 and UNSG Ban Ki-Moon's Statement Commends the Abyei Award and Hague Final Abyei Ruling Raises Big Peace Hopes in Sudan and BBC and GAR and Justice Portal and SPLM-NPC Joint Statement on the Abyei Award's Implementation and USA, EU and Others Welcome PCA Verdict on Abyei and Ruling on Oil Region Boilsters Peace in Sudan and GOSS and Abyei Boundary Arbitration Homepage
• Anniversary of Comprehensive Peace Agreement Between North and South Sudan of 7 January 2009
• Comprehensive Peace Agreement
• Resolving the Boundary Dispute in Sudan's Abyei Region U.S. Institute of Peace Briefing, October 2005
• The Nuer Field Notes - an online collection of linguistic field notes recorded by Eleanor Vandevort, who was a missionary in the South Sudan between 1949 and 1963. The site also includes Ms. Vandevort's book A Leopard Tamed and pictures taken in southern Sudan.
• John Dau Sudan Foundation One of the storied "Lost Boys of Sudan," John Dau is transforming healthcare in Southern Sudan through the building and sustaining of healthcare clinics.
• "CARL DUMPS STATE'S $10M SUDAN STAKE", "New York Post", April 25, 2001.
• Crisis briefing on the fragile peace in south Sudan from Reuters AlertNet

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