The Past:
A History of Sudan
About Sudan
-Sudan is the largest country in Africa; it covers 2.5 million square kilometers.
-The capital city of Khartoum is located in the North.
-It is bordered by Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Libya, Uganda, Kenya, the Central African Republic, Zaire and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
-The population is estimated to be about 39 million.
-The official language is Arabic.
Map courtesy of University of Khartoum
History
Until the 1950s, Sudan was under the colonial rule of Great Britain and Egypt. In January of 1956, it gained its independence. The years to come would bring a series of military rules, interspersed with short-lived periods of democracy. Ongoing efforts to bridge the ever-growing rift between the black Africans and the Arabs failed miserably, as destertification and drought caused both sides to scramble for already scarce natural resources. A civil war broke out, and a peace agreement was made in 1972, but the peace didn't last very long.
The 1980s brought more turmoil. The Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA), representing the largely Christian south, came to blows with the Muslim government of the north. In 1989, Lt. Gen. Omar Ahmed al-Bashir came to power as head of the new military regime, and in 1993 he officially became president.
Omar al-Bashir
photo courtesy of www.Sudanembassy.org
Bashir instituted a rule of strict Islamic law, further enraging the Christian south. The renewed civil war continued throughout the 1990s. In 1998 a cease-fire was declared, and peace talks were held in Kenya. The talks broke down, however, when the warring factions failed to renew the cease-fire one year later.
Elections held in 2000 were largely boycotted by the opposition, and Bashir was reelected. His National Congress Party now controlled the parliament, and the main opposition leader was jailed and then placed under house arrest. It was at this time that the international community increased pressure on Sudan to find a peaceful solution. Peace talks resumed in fall of 2004, and in January of 2005, a peace agreement was signed by Sudan's vice president and the leader of the SPLA.
For the people of Sudan, the peace did not come soon enough; in twenty-one years of civil war, more than two million had died.