Sudanese Civil War
Overview:
The Sudanese conflict began in mid 1900s after Sudan gained independence from British and Egyptian rule. When Sudan became independent, the constitution written in 1956, it did not mention whether Sudan should be a non-religious or Islamic country. In addition, the civil service and administration were handed to more northerners, leaving the southerners without a say as they had little control over the government. The differences between the northern and southern part of Sudan caused more conflict. The north was predominately Arabs who followed Islam. The majority of the south, however were either Christian or Animists. However, because the government was led by Arabs, they failed to keep their promise to create a federal system for the southerners. This angered them greatly, resulting in two civil wars.
First Civil War (1955-1972):
Seventeen years of civil strife, where leaders from the south of Sudan would fight for a separate nation makes up the first Sudanese Civil War. Beginning in 1955, groups of mutineers and many southern students gathered to form the Anya Nya guerrilla army in Equatoria. Soon the Anya Nya gained support and spread to other southern provinces such as the Upper Nile and Bahr al Ghazal. The Arab government was unable to stop the outbreaks caused by the Anya Nya army as they were weak and unstable at the time.
As Sudanese government authorities attempted to stop them, many mutineers hid with their weapons in the forests or escaped to refugee camps. In 1969, the mutineers were able to obtain weapons through contact with foreign countries such as Israel. Throughout the years, the government and many southerners failed to come to an agreement, resulting in increased troop strength in the south and an ongoing conflict.
In 1971, Joseph Lagu created the Southern Sudan Liberation Movement (SSLM) to oppose government forces. This movement was supported by Anya Nya leaders and exiled southern politicians.
Tired with conflict, Gaafar Nimeiry, the president of Sudan during that time contacted the SSLM. A consultation between the government and SSLM took place in February 1972. At first the SSLM wanted a federal state, a separate government, and military. However they finally agreed that a regional president appointed by the national president would govern the south, except in areas such as defense, foreign affairs, currency and finance, economic and social planning, and interregional concerns. In addition, the southern military would be made up of qualified Anya Nya veterans with equal numbers of northern and southern officers. The agreement also recognized Arabic as their official language and that English would be a principal language in the South, that would be taught in schools.
Although many SSLM leaders disagreed with many aspects of the treaty, Lagu agreed to cease fire, ending the first civil war.
Second Civil War (1983-2005):
The second Sudanese Civil War occurred in 1983 when President Jaafar Nimeiri introduced the Shari’a Law throughout Sudan. This law includes punishments such as criticizing and denying Allah is punishable by death. Southerners and non-muslims were also subjected to these punishments, resulting in many innocent deaths despite Nimeiri’s assurances that they will not be affected. This angered many southerners, making them form a rebel group called Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), led by John Garang. In 1985 the SPLA attempted to seize power, demanding the government to take down the Shari’a Law. As the nation tumbled into a bloody war, the government called for a state of emergency. In 1988, the SPLA and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) ceased fire after agreeing to a peace plan, which abolished military pacts with Egypt and Libya, the Shari’a Law, and ended the state of emergency.
Troubles re-emerged when prices of basic goods were increased in 1988. The government quickly silenced the riots by lowering the prices once again. However, in 1989 a new leader named Omar Hassan al-Bashir replaced the government with the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC). They banned trade unions, political parties, and non-religious institutions. Under his leadership a penal code, the Criminal Act of 1991 was introduced. This act instituted severe punishments such as amputations and stoning. Although southern states were not included, they feared that this law could lead to the Shari’a law. To raise suspicions, the government replaced non-muslim judges in the south with Muslim judges. This act led to a ten year war (1991-2001), that killed millions of civilians. In 2005 the government and the SPLA came to an agreement regarding how northern and southern Sudan should be run.
Finally, on July 9th, 2011, a new nation called South Sudan was born.
The Lost Boys of Sudan:
The Lost Boys of Sudan are a group of around 20,000 young boys who were separated from their families in 1987 due to the Second Sudanese War. At the time all of them had to travel thousands of miles to escape death. About half of them died before making their way to camp Kakuma in Kenya.
The Lost Boys of Sudan (Film):
Overview:
“The Lost Boys of Sudan” directed by Megan Mylan and Jon Shenk is a documentary showing the life of two refugees from Dinka, Santino and Peter who movie from Kakuma Refugee camp in Kenya to The United States to begin a new chapter in their lives. The film followed their lives in the span of two years (2001-2003). In 2003, the film won the Independent Spirit Truer than fiction award. This documentary is unique because there is no voice over narration.
Characters:
Click on the the red text (character names) to discover their roles in the film and their life afterwards.
