Déjà vu

Country Facts

Name: Republic of South Sudan

Capital: Juba

Neighbours: Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia.

Population: 8 260 490 (2008)

President: Salva Kiir Mayardit

Independence: 9 July 2011

Lingua Franca: English

This week our journey takes us to the north west of Nigeria to what was once part of Africa’s biggest country-Sudan. Due to never ending turmoil Sudan was partitioned creating a new country in Africa named South Sudan. Not long after its establishment violence has erupted and ethnic tension is the chief culprit responsible for the mayhem.

The term ethnicity has many definitions, but certain characteristics are constant in the explanation. Pertaining to this article, ethnicity will be defined as a named human group with common ancestry, sharing memories, culture and territory or homeland. Ethnic groups are a symbol of pride and identity for the members giving them a sense of affiliation. In as much as ethnic groups enable people to have a sense of belonging they also create artificial boundaries with other ethnic groups thereby creating strife amongst them. Therefore, ethnic violence is based on the idea that one’s ethnic tribe is far superior to the other and thus the other groups must submit to their authority.

On the 11 of March 2011 Africa and the world welcomed South Sudan after a civil war based on ethnic, religious and economic grounds. The conflict was between Muslim Arabs in north Sudan and Christian Nilotes and animists from the south. Due to the nature of the grievances faced by these two groups, no resolution could be passed and the bloodless coup de tat by Omar al-Bashir who introduced an Islamic legal code across the country exacerbated the situation. The stance taken by al-Bashir was strongly opposed by the south coupled with the banning of political parties and press censorship. These irreconcilable differences led to the partitioning of Sudan in 2005 and the birth of Sudan.

Map of South Sudan

The creation of the 54^th state in Africa was seen as a move to usher in peaceful coexistence among the people of South Sudan. On the contrary, the country is currently immersed in another bloody battle, but in this case the cause is ethnic. Since January 2012 the Lou Nuer and the Murle tribes in the Jonglei region have pitted gruesome attacks on each other’s ethnic villages. This has led to the region being declared a ‘disaster area’. Historically, these two tribes have constantly fought for power and cattle. Cattle in an African context are a symbol of wealth and power. Livestock is used to pay dowry, making it a form of currency.  These attacks are marked with cattle raids, burning homesteads and abduction of women and children who are engaged in forced labour. During the long civil war the Murle were seen as traitors. They were accused of regularly abducting their neighbours'  (Lou Nuer and Dinka) children, a practice not uncommon across South Sudan. Competition for scarce resources and for arms that were left over after the civil war has also contributed to the violence.

Eight Thousand Lou Nuer youths stormed the Pibor town burning Murle homes resulting in approximately 60 000 people fleeing their homes. The Murle launched a counter-attack which left more than 3 140 people dead with most of the victims being women and children according to local government officials and the United Nations. The Lou Nuer also began burning and looting fields and raiding crops which has caused severe food shortages. Armed forces have been deployed in a bid to curb the violence. The army intends to create a buffer zone between the tribes in a bid to disarm them and stop the carnage.

The ongoing crisis is decapitating a crippled economy, with 80% of the country depending on agriculture. Minority groups like the Anyuak, Jie and Kachipo have also been affected by the violence bringing the country to a standstill. Therefore the crisis is hindering growth in the new state and seriously increasing poverty in the country recovering from war with the north. Furthermore, the country is now dependant on food aid from organisations such as the World Food Programme (WFP) which is feeding close to 7 000 people in the Pibor region. reports from the United Nations suggests theat the ethnic violence has affected 120 000

The issue of ethnicity has always been a sensitive one in Africa after independence. It has always hindered government’s attempts to build a nation, which is a community of people sharing similar language, culture and ethnicity. However, Africans have more allegiance to their clan more than their country because African nations were colonially manufactured. Various methods have been undertaken to foster nationalism and not ethnicity in Africa. Nelson Mandela famously used the 1995 Rugby World Cup to unite the Apartheid ridden country of South Africa. South Sudan has deployed armed troops to hoard off the violence, which is a stop gap measure. In the long run government must also address the root causes of violence among minority communities through fair political representation, disarmament and equitable distribution of natural resources. A comprehensive and deliberate educational system tailor made to promote integration with emphasis on civic lessons on citizenship and what it means to be a South Sudanese citizen can be done to foster nation-building. Targeting youth is particularly important for breaking intergenerational attitudes towards ethnicity, because this group can be easily mobilised to take part in violence as was the case with the Lou Nuer tribe.

Ethnic violence has no clear cut victors no matter how long it takes and how much one tribe annihilates the other. It is however detrimental to the economy and political climate which is not determined by colour, creed, religion and ethnicity, but is hinged on harmony and on corporation amongst the diverse ethnic groups.