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{{morefootnotes|date=July 2009}}
{{morefootnotes|date=July 2009}}
{{Infobox Country or territory
{{Infobox Country or territory
|native_name =
|native_name = الحكم الذاتي حكومة جنوب السودان
|conventional_long_name = Southern Sudan
|conventional_long_name = Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan
|common_name = Southern Sudan
|common_name = Southern Sudan
|image_flag = Flag of the SPLAM.svg
|image_flag = Flag of the SPLAM.svg

Revision as of 19:37, 16 September 2009

Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan
الحكم الذاتي حكومة جنوب السودان
Anthem: Southern Sudan anthem
Location of Southern Sudan
Capital
and largest city
Juba
Official languagesEnglish, Arabic (Juba Arabic)
Recognised regional languagesover 400 dialects. Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English.
Ethnic groups
Dinka, Nuer, Shilluk, Bari, Lotuko, Zande, Mundari, Kakwa, Pojulu, Moru, Acholi, Madi, Lulubo, Lokoya, Toposa, Lango, Didinga, Murle, Anuak, Makaraka, Mundu, Jo Luo, Kaliko, Kuku, among others
Demonym(s)Sudanese
Government
• President
Salva Kiir Mayardit
Riek Machar
Paulino Matip Nhial
Justice Ambrose Ring Thick
Establishment
January 9, 2005
Area
• Total
589,745 km2 (227,702 sq mi)
Population
• Estimate
8.26 million (2009)[1]
• Density
14/km2 (36.3/sq mi)
CurrencySudanese pound
Time zoneUTC+3

Southern Sudan (officially known as the Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan) is located in Africa with Juba as its capital city. Under the terms of the deal with Republic of Sudan, the south has been given a large degree of autonomy and the chance to vote for full independence in 2011 after six years of home rule. The conflict between Sudan's north and south was Africa's longest running civil war [2][3], until its official cessation in January, 2005.

Southern Sudan borders 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. It includes the vast swamp region of the Sudd formed by the White Nile, locally called the Bahr el Jebel.

Nearly all of Southern Sudan's administrative offices are located in the capital and largest city by population, Juba.

Geography

Southern Sudan consists of the ten states which formerly composed the provinces of Equatoria (Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, and Western Equatoria), Bahr el Ghazal (Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Lakes, and Warrap), and Upper Nile (Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile).

History

It is estimated [who?] that the Southern region has a population of around 12 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[citation needed]. This region has been negatively affected by the First and Second Sudanese Civil Wars for all but 10 years since Sudanese independence in 1956, resulting in serious neglect, lack of infrastructure development, and major destruction and displacement. More than 2 million people have died, and more than 4 million are internally displaced or have become refugees as a result of the civil war and war-related impacts.[4] The region has been struck by occasional famine. A 1998 famine killed hundreds of thousands, and a food emergency was declared in mid-2005.

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) offers no right of continuation of the Khartoum concession agreements if the South votes to secede. Independence for South Sudan means that, as a sovereign state, it does not need to honor agreements made with Khartoum [citation needed]. Those countries that stand to lose the most upon secession are China, Malaysia, India, France, and Kuwait, given their large stakes in Khartoum concessions [citation needed]. With more than 98% of the people in the South desiring independence from Khartoum [citation needed], there is a high probability that many of the countries now operating in the South will change. Recently, China, Malaysia, India, and France have begun to court President Salva Kiir to protect their respective country's oil interests [citation needed]. British companies have also been courting the Southern Sudanese government with regard to mining exploration, specializing in cobalt and copper [citation needed]. However, much of the population wants a new company which does not have a relationship with Khartoum, especially given the atrocities committed against the Southern people by the central government [citation needed].

After the death of John Garang, the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the South Sudan Defence Force (SSDF), overcame their mutual antagonism and merged in January 2006 under the Juba Declaration.[5] The SSDF was founded by the current vice president of the South, Dr. Riek Machar, who defected back to the SPLA/M in 2002, leaving General Paulino Matip Nhial as the chief of staff (head) of the SSDF. Under the Juba Declaration, General Matip became the deputy commander-in-chief of the SPLA, and his SSDF forces were integrated into the SPLA, swelling its ranks from 30,000 to an estimated 130,000 troops.

Demographics

The South contains many more ethnic groups and languages than are found in the North. Without a proper census, and given polygamy and large families, estimates of the relative proportions of the hundred ethnic groups in the South is difficult. However, it is widely agreed that the largest ethnic group in the South is Dinka, followed by Nuer. Other Nilotic peoples include the Bari and Shilluk.

Language

Southern Sudan has many tribal groups and uses many languages different from those used in the north. The language of education and government business is English, which was adopted as the official language for Southern Sudan in 1928 and was acknowledged as the principal language in Southern Sudan in the late 1980s,[6] although the distinctive Juba Arabic language arabi juba, developed in the 19th century among descendants of Sudanese soldiers, derived mostly from the Bari tribal native tongue, is a widely [specify] used lingua franca in Southern Sudan. However, English is used as lingua franca in areas where Juba pidgin Arabic is not used.[7] Additionally, three widely used African languages are Thuongjang (3,000,000 speakers)[7], Thok Naath (1,400,000 speakers),[7] dhok-Chollo (1,000,000 speakers). Nuer is widely spoken in Unity State, Jonglei State and Shilluk is spoken in Upper Nile State.

The oil and other minerals wealth of the South Sudan can be found almost everywhere, but the Nuerland is commonly known as rich with oil, including Unity and Upper Nile states, which have a high concentration of Nuers.

Religion

Southern Sudanese predominantly practice traditional indigenous beliefs and Christianity, particularly the Episcopal Church of the Sudan and the Roman Catholic Church. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sudan.(ELCS)

Economy

Most of the Government of Sudan's budget comes from oil money.

Oil

In recent years, a significant amount of foreign-based oil drilling has begun in Southern Sudan, raising the land's geopolitical profile. Khartoum has broken much of the 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%[citation needed].

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 [citation needed].

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 kilometre 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. Several of these pre-Naivasha deals were revoked when the SPLM came to power. One company, Jarch Management Group, Ltd., claims that the Government of Southern Sudan has since accepted its pre-CPA contracts [citation needed]. These contracts are backed by General Paulino Matip, the deputy commander-in-chief of the SPLA, who originally signed agreements in March 2004 as head of the SSDF and has publicly supported Jarch Management Group [citation needed].

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 Northerners and Southerners and co-chaired by both President al-Bashir of the North and President Kiir of the South. However, the CPA does not specify who could sign those pre-CPA agreements. Both Khartoum and the SPLM claim the ability to sign agreements prior under the right of "self-determination" awarded to Southerners [citation needed]. A major issue being discussed amongst those [who?] that hold concessions from Khartoum is, what happens if the South secedes.

Government

Main article: Politics of Southern Sudan
  North Sudan
  Darfur
  Eastern Front, area of operations July 2006
  South Sudan
  Abyei
  Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile
Abyei, Nuba Mountains, and Blue Nile are to hold a referendum in 2011 on whether to join South Sudan.

The Sudanese government agreed to give autonomy to the region in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) [8] signed on January 9, 2005 in Naivasha, Kenya, with the SPLA/M, tentatively bringing an end to the Second Sudanese Civil War 1983-2005. A referendum is scheduled for 2011 on whether to remain in the greater Sudan or to become an independent nation. Following the Naivasha Agreement which granted autonomy to Southern Sudan, the Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan[9] was adopted in December 2005, leading to the creation of the Government of Southern Sudan and a Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly.

The relationship between autonomous Southern Sudan and the neighbouring areas of Blue Nile State, Nuba Mountains/Southern Kurdufan, and Abyei has yet to be definitively determined.[10]

Pending elections, seats in both the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly (SSLA) and the Government of the Southern Sudan are to be divided in a fixed proportion between the SPLM (70%), the NCP (the former NIF) (15%), and "other Southern political forces" (15%).

Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly

Main article: Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly

The main lawmaking body has 171 MPs drawn from eight parties:[11]

On 23 January 2009, the Southern Sudan Democratic Forum announced a merger with the National Southern Front, led by Phillip Stephen Dak.[12]

From the time of the Naivasha Agreement until his death on 30 July 2005, longtime rebel leader John Garang was the President of Southern Sudan. He was succeeded by Salva Kiir Mayardit who was sworn in as first vice president of Sudan on 11 August 2005.

Humanitarian situation

Southern Sudan is acknowledged to have some of the worst health indicators in the world.[13][14] 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.[13]

By 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, OCHA (under the leadership of Eliane Duthoit) started to phase out of 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.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ Heavens, Andrew (May 21, 2009). Southerners dismiss Sudan pre-poll census count. Reuters Africa.
  2. ^ Fisher, Jonah (October 23, 2005). "South Sudan gets new government". BBC News, United Kingdom. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
  3. ^ News, Reuters (May 27, 2008). "South Sudan fragile peace". Thomson Reuters Foundation. Retrieved 2008-12-07. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ Otterman, Sharon (July 22, 2009). "Ruling Divides Contested Area in Sudan". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Juba Declaration on Unity and Integration. Sudan Tribune. January 10, 2006.
  6. ^ Language. Library of Congress.
  7. ^ a b c Kjeilin, Tore Religons. Looklex.
  8. ^ The Comprehensive Peace Agreement between The Government of The Republic of The Sudan and The Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Sudan People's Liberation Army (from reliefweb.int)
  9. ^ "The Interim Constitution of Southern Sudan" (PDF). United Nations Mission In Sudan. February 2005. Retrieved 2009-03-13.
  10. ^ Henshaw, Amber (January 9, 2009). Uneasy peace in Sudan ghost town. BBC News.
  11. ^ SSLA Political Parties. The Official Website of the Southern Sudan Legislative Assembly (SSLA). December 9, 2008.
  12. ^ SSDF and NSF Announce Merger. Sudan Radio Service. January 23, 2009.
  13. ^ a b Ross, Emma (January 28, 2004). Southern Sudan as unique combination of worst diseases in the world. Sudan Tribune.
  14. ^ Moszynski, Peter (July 23, 2005). Conference plans rebuilding of Southern Sudan's health service. BMJ.
  15. ^ SUDAN: Peace bolsters food security in the south. IRIN. April 18, 2007.

Further reading

  • Biel, Melha Rout (2007), Southern Sudan after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Jena: Netzbandt Verlag, ISBN 9783937884011


4°51′N 31°36′E / 4.850°N 31.600°E / 4.850; 31.600

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