Essay On Sudanese War

The Second Sudanese War is one of the world’s major religious wars caused by conflict between Islam and Christianity. It lasted for over 22 years, from 1983 to 2005, mainly between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army. Despite its origins in Southern Sudan, the war spilled over to the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains regions causing 4 million people in Sudan to be displaced. Their deprivation is further exacerbated by the significant human rights abuses under the regime. The government of Sudan had been accused of imposing “appalling suffering” on several million of Sudanese citizens. It was approximated that when the war ended, Sudan contained over 6.1 million internally displaced people.

As Africa’s most expansive and equally divergent country, Sudan’s demographics include religious, ethnic and socio-economic divides. After Sudan gained independence from the British Colonization, the nation was left vulnerable as the north and south failed to cooperate.

The Second Sudanese War also is portrayed as a conflict between regional powers and the central government. The competition between foreign interest and the two opposing parties over the oil fields sparked disputes over the natural resources between the regions, further intensifying the war. The Northern Sudan’s desire to to gain control over the natural resources is driven by the reality their arid geography prevents them from cultivating agriculture. In addition,when Omar Al-Bashir’s coup overthrew the Sudanese government and revoked the peace agreement back in 1989, both regions failed to acquiesce in a peace treaty due to the major scale of the conflict. Frequent aerial bombardments and helicopter attacks from the Government of Sudan aggravate the ra...

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...se high inflation in Sudan. Moreover, the fighting in Darfur and the Protocol Areas led to internal displacement as well as a large outflow of refugees into Ethiopia during 2011 and 2012. The Doha Document for Peace marked many voluntary returns of IDPs and refugees. Nevertheless, recent violence in Darfur in July and August 2012 prompted more internal displacement.

Internally Displaced Persons in eastern Sudan face obstacles such as poverty, lack of access to health care, employment and education. Though numerous IDPs return to the place of origin, many areas lack basic services and infrastructure and people remain malnutritioned. For Refugees, many fail to integrate locally and continuous drought has reduced the quality of life in neighboring countries. Hundred of thousands of Sudanese people are unable to prove their identity and are at risk of statelessness.