South Sudan Research Paper

For my 20 Time project this week, I researched about South Sudan's environment and the natives daily life. I learned that because of all of the conflict in the area, environmental problems are pushed back and ignored. They have many environmental problems involving major deforestation and destructive mining. On the bright side, they also have natural beauty, and it is home to many animal species, and one of the world's biggest marshlands, the Sudd. The daily life in South Sudan is a struggle, and especially with the recent cholera outbreak, life is not easy, even in the capital city, Juba.

The Darfur crisis was a horrific event because of the savage treatment of civilians that led to an immense number of civilian casualties. As of today, over four hundred and eighty thousand people have been killed, and over two point eight million people are displaced. (World Without Genocide, Worldwithoutgenocide.org). Women and children were forced to endure a systematic program of sexual assault, torture, and murder. The central government of Sudan, working largely through nomadic Arab militias, humiliates women, and tears apart families and shreds the social fabric of communities through rape. (Smart Library on Globalization, clg.portalxm.com). It is clear from these sources that the innocent civilian deaths tore apart families. After villages are attacked parents and children have had to run away from the

Primarily the violence and turmoil is concentrated in the Darfur region of the Sudan. It is estimated that 1,000 people are dying each day in the Sudan, and given the apathetic mindset of the world, hundreds of thousands will continue to die if not helped.

(CITE) 2001 saw an internal struggle whereas the Sudanese government were attempting peace agreements with the (SPLA). The government even showed signs of stability in 2002 with an agreed ceasefire and the (SPLA) signing a protocol to end the civil war. This truce lasted only 11 days as the government attacked the (SPLA) again. (CITE) A refugee crisis emerged in 2004 as the government struck down an uprising in Darfur and commenced with ethnic killings. 2005 saw the government and the rebels sign a peace treaty for Southern Sudan, but the absence of Darfur in this agreement saw 1.5 million more refugees. (CITE) Even as of 2007, the worst humanitarian disaster in the world continues as China’s oil interests in the region is causing her to block the UN security council resolution process. (CITE) The government’s instability added to Sudan’s inability to diversify her economy. This in turn only exacerbated her resource curse, namely oil. The main ingredient that seemed to fuel the famine was 1978 oil discovery and the control of

When the Sahel is in the news, it is often because millions of people are at risk of going hungry. A humanitarian crisis usually unfolds on the back of a food crisis. In 2012, the lives of up to 18 million people were put at risk following a major food crisis in the region. This year, more than 11 million are facing the same plight, while 1.4 million children are threatened with severe malnutrition. Even in normal years, millions are in a permanent state of food insecurity. Over the past five decades, persistent droughts have contributed to famine

South Sudan is currently facing many problems. Its economic problem is of utmost importance because its economy is

South Sudan has been at war with Sudan in the North, disadvantaging food production and consumption. The war resulted in the independence of South Sudan six years after the war ended. Roughly two million people died as a result of war, famine and disease caused by the

Long-term drought, conflict, a succession of poor harvests and rising food and fuel prices, have all come together to spark a flood of refugees from Somalia into neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia. These things cause it to be really difficult for people to live there, which caused them to leave.

Often times the issues behind fragile states refer back to their roots within history and how the states were first structured. For example, when fragile states were first colonized their borders were poorly drawn by Westerners, causing land and structural inequalities (Belgasmi). This resulted in many land disputes and clashes against different religious and ethnic groups. In addition to land disputes, these fragile states have weak governmental structures. Other causes can range anywhere from economical, political, and environmental, to ethnic or resource based. For example, a fairly recent conflict related to these issues would be Darfur, where "an estimated three to six million people have been affected by the conflict" (Hermanson), many of which live in high levels of poverty. Ever since their independence in 1917, they have had a rough time with destabilization from Military coups, natural disasters, and conflict between the North and South (Belgasmi). Innocent civilians in Darfur have been targets of armed conflicts since 1983 (Islam), even though the Darfurian conflict was not recognized to have started until 2003. It is identified as the longest ongoing conflict in Africa (Islam) and one of the most complex and challenging, on an economic and political level "due to structure of society, population displacement

Although upon first glance water seems like a simple issue, the effects of the water shortages are great on the many aspects of the developing economy and world of South Sudan, which is evident in the national and international affairs, education, economy, social, disease control, gender equality and so much more. As discussed in previous paragraphs, the civil war and international war causes water stress, but water availability also becomes worse with the growing conflict due to increased displacement (Barton and “Shortage”). It is estimated that a total of 152, 000 displaced citizens are a result of Upper Nile conflicts only, and the number endlessly grows (“Shortage”). Ten people die a day due to the water shortages, and it is estimated

South Sudan has a long history of violence, chances for economic success, and geographic position that would suggest success in development, but the very issues that should increase the development cause issues in South Sudan. South Sudan became an independent country from Sudan on July 9, 2011 and has a population between 7.5-10 million people about 50.6% of which live under the poverty line (“South Sudan” The World Factbook and “South Sudan country profile”). The journey to independence has been long; however, in 1956 the entirety of Sudan gained independence from the British and Egyptian colonial rule, which is when the conflict between the southern portion of the country began (“South Sudan country profile”). The south thought that the government was backing out of a promise of a federal government and attempting to convert the whole country to islamic beliefs (“South Sudan profile- overview”). Civil war began in 1955 for the same reason and

South Sudan is the newest country in Africa; it received its independence in 2011 from Sudan after a prolonged 22-year civil war. The war between the government of Sudan and Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement/Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army (SPLM/SPLA) started in 1983. The civil war ended when the two parties in conflict signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005. The CPA ended the war leading to South Sudan independence through a referendum held 2011. Throughout the CPA, the USA got involved and supported the process as well as supporting the new leadership of South Sudan towards development, stability and political systems. Therefore, the USA played a great role in creating

     This is a very bad situation from the start. Almost every aspect of this situation is bad. The people are poor, the land is of poor quality, and production of foods and materials is getting tougher and tougher.

The United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that 250,000 IDP’s are displaced because of the conflict in South Sudan. Lizabeth Paulat, a member of Truthout, a think tank, writes that the violence is directly causing a potentially massive famine within the region. “This threat of starvation is not occurring because of a natural scarcity, or even a political attempt to starve out opponents,” says Paulat, “rather, this is an issue of South Sudan’s internal refugees, forced to flee their homes to escape violence.” With such a high volume of IDP’s and a projected record breaking famine, the international community must intervene to assist President Kiir and the South Sudanese Government.

For the past five decades North and South Sudan fought two bloody civil war. After 2 million people lost their lives as a result of the civil war, South Sudan declared its independence on July 9, 2011 following a peace agreement signed that include the right of South Sudan to vote on a referendum and voted to secede from the rest of the nation (Belloni, 2011). Although the natural resource rich South Sudan finally get its independence, there are many challenges lie ahead of the world’s newest nation. Lack of access to clean water, health facilities, education, and infrastructure are to name but a few.